Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Book
of
GENESIS
FR. TADROS Y. MALATY
2004
Initial edition
Translated by:
DR. GEORGE BOTROS
English text revised by
ROSETTE R. TOMA
The Word of God is the food that the Holy Spirit grants to the Church of
Christ, so that she may live perpetually renovated in her spiritual youth, without
undergoing the incapacities of old age, or perishability. In the past few years, my good
Lord allowed me to study the word of God; in the same way the Fathers of the early
Church experienced it, as spirit and life. I began to write some of the meditations and
interpretations practiced by those Fathers, in the hope that we, also, may live through
the spirit and belief of the early Church; enjoying the Holy Spirit through the word of
God, alive and active in us, until it elevates us to our heavenly Groom the divine
Word, who will come on the clouds, to bestow on us His glories, and bring us into
the bosom of His Father, to abide with Him eternally in His heavens.
However, in my interpretation, if I did not commit to the sequence of the
books as they come in the Holy Bible; it is just because I did not intend to author a
comprehensive series of interpretations, but I aspired to enter, with every soul, into the
secret place of the Word, and to enjoy Him as the eternal Groom, who fills the heart,
the mind and all the inner depths.
Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty
AN INTRODUCTORY STUDY:
INTRODUCTION TO
THE PENTATEUCH
OR
Due of its pure academic nature, some readers may consider this chapter hard to comprehend. I
would rather advise them to skip it, if they so prefer.
1
UNITY OF THE FIVE BOOKS
NOMENCLATURES
In the Greek language, the first five books of the Old Testament are called
The Pentateuch petatM,o, meaning: the five books, a name used in
Christianity since early times. Certain scholars tried to bind the first four books
together in one unit, under the name of The Tetrateuch; considering the book of
Deuteronomy a sort of introduction to the history of Israel, from its initial entry into
the promised land, The Book of Joshua; While certain others tried to add the Book
of Joshua to the first five books to form a six-books unit they called The
Hexateuch. Sometimes, others tried to bind the first eight books in a unit they called
The Octateuch, to include the historic period up to the beginning of the era of kings.
But, among scholars, the original traditional thought of binding the first five books as
a historical basis on which Gods people were established still prevails.
The Jews also recognized this unity; In Hebrew, the Scripture, is divided into
three units according to its authors:
(1) The Law, or The Torah: includes the five books of Moses.
(2) The prophets Nebiim: divided into Former Prophets and Latter Prophets.
The first division includes Joshua, the Judges, Samuel and Kings; while the second
division includes Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve Minor prophets.
(3) The Kethubbim, divided in its turn into three divisions:
The Poetic books: Psalms, Proverbs, and Job.
Megilloth books: Songs of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and
Esther.
Non-Prophetic Historical books: Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles.
Thus, the five books of Moses appear as one unit called The Law, even
though they carried several other names mentioned in the two Testaments, some of
which are:
* The Torah or the Law (Joshua 1:7; Matthew 5:17; 12:5).
* The Book of the Law (Joshua 1:8; Galatians 3:10).
* The book of the Law of Moses (Joshua 8:31).
* The book of the Law of God (Joshua 24:26).
* The book of Moses (2 Chronicles 25:4; Mark 12:26).
* The Law of the Lord (2 Chronicles 31:3; Luke 2:23).
* The Law of Moses (1 Kings 2:3; Ezra 7:6; Luke 2:22).
A HISTORICAL UNITY
These books represent a well correlated historical unity; that begins by the
creation of the world for the sake of man; then the creation of man himself. When man
fell, God planned for his salvation, electing for him the Early Fathers: Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. In Egypt, started the first seed for the people that God set, to fulfill,
through it, salvation for the whole humanity. Then, Moses was chosen as the first
leader for this people. He delivered the people from the bondage of Pharaoh. Through
him, they received the Covenant on Mount Sinai. Finally, he stopped them on the
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eastern shore of the Jordan river to hand them over to a new leader - Joshua; as
though, through the Law, he is handing us over to Jesus the leader of life, and the
endower of inheritance.
Thus, these books represent a complete and prime segment in the life of
humanity, concerning its relationship with God; and an important role lived by man,
in which he feels Gods protection and the plan for his salvation. It is worthy to note,
that in these books, history and faith intermingle. There is no separation between
historical events and the doctrine of faith.
AND
FAITH
IN
In all the ancient nations, history has been tied to religion. Religion played a
capital role in all aspects of their daily, familial, and economic life, and, in their
political activities. In spite of the fact that history is influenced by doctrine, it is not
representing a part of it. As for the Jews, there is no separation between history and
faith; Not only history is influenced by their doctrine, but, it represents an integral part
of it. In other words, the theological point of view on history and the theological point
of view of doctrine are linked together.
The history of this people represents an integral part of the word of God, and
an exceeding divine plan for the salvation of the whole humanity. History began with
the creation of man, as he appears as Gods ambassador on earth, having power and
authority over everything, on and beneath earth, in the depths of the seas, in air, and
even in space. He has no master, but he is the master of all creations on earth. History
disclosed Gods choice of the Patriarch (Fathers): Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In each
action and each work that occurred at their time, God revealed Himself to us. And in
our Christian concept, their life carries numerous symbols for the coming of the Lord
Christ, as a Redeemer and Savior.
As Christians, we do not see, in this part of history, a past that vanished, but,
rather a divine preparation for the plan of our salvation, and innumerable symbols of
Gods work for us, up to this very day. This is not history in its general scientific
concept, but it is a history that tells us the secret of our relationship with God, it
explains his mysteries and teaches us His heavenly wisdom toward us. It is an actual
history carrying the power of life through our encounter with Christ our Lord, Whom
this very same history revealed, and prepared for His coming.
did not earn to be the master of the whole universe. Likewise, the patriarch fathers did
not earn to be selected as men of God, neither did the people of Israel earn to be
chosen as holy nation. But this election was because of Gods exceeding love, and of
His wisdom (Deuteronomy 7:8). Therefore, these choices are attributed to God
without partiality or favoritism on the expense of the holy life.
3- The Covenants: Covenants were of great importance in eastern societies.
As examples, the covenant between Abraham and Abimelech (Gen. 21:23), between
Jacob and his father-in-law (Gen. 31: 44); and that, between David and Jonathan (1
Samuel 23: 28). In the first five books, Gods appreciation for man is demonstrated;
exalting his value, and entering with him into a covenant, leading to successive ones.
He made one with Adam, indirectly proclaimed, in Paradise, Adam was expected to
realize Gods love for him and return love for love. But he disobeyed Him and so
spoiling the image of the covenant. For this, God renewed His covenant with Noah,
after renovating the earth through the water of Baptism, and He set its sign in
nature, a rainbow in the clouds (Gen. 9). As man did not still comprehend the
concepts of that covenant, He set for it a sign in the body of every male, the
circumcision. Finally, at Mount Sinai, God made His covenant with His people
(Exodus 19), which He sealed with the blood of the sacrificial animals, as a sign for
the covenant that the Father sealed, on the cross, with the blood of His beloved Son!
This is the thread of love that bound the five books together, to bring us into the New
Testament.
4- The Covenant was linked to the Law: In Sinai, the Law got mixed with the
Statutes of worship, without separation between the commandment and worship, or
between the laws and the sacrifices
2
MOSES AND THE BOOKS
MOSES, WRITER OF THE BOOKS
In the year 1176, Ebn Ezra noted the words of the Scripture: The
Canaanites were then in the land (Gen. 12:6). As if the writer was reporting the
events after the Canaanites had left the land. This did not happen in the days of Moses.
Thus, Ebn Ezra stated that the writer of these books was someone other than Moses.
The seventeenth to the twentieth centuries were loaded with advanced critical studies
searching the relationship of the prophet Moses to these books to find out if he was
the writer through the verbal or written tradition that was given to him, or if someone
else wrote the books based on manuscripts that Moses left behind, or, if there was
another source besides Moses verbal or written documents... I do not intend, here, to
study these opinions in details, especially with the new trend that appeared with the
beginning of the twentieth century where scholars and critics reconfirm the traditional
historical concept, that Moses is the writer of these five books. We prefer to expose
the proofs and evidences that Moses is the writer of these books, through an
inspiration of the Holy Spirit of the Lord, rather than exploring the disputing opinions.
(Nehemiah 8: 1).
On that day, they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people
(Nehemiah 13: 1) As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come
upon us (Daniel 9: 13).
The Old Testament ends with the following words: Remember the Law of
Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes
and judgments (Malachi 4: 4).
10
Pi-Tum, a name referred to in the ancient remains of the nineteenth Dynasty, that fits
exactly the time of exodus; The chalice, ordered by Joseph to be put in the sack of
Benjamin, was called a cup, a name not used outside the five books, except in the
book of Jeremiah 35:5, who lived for a while in Egypt. Beside these, there are many
other Egyptian names, or Egyptian names that carried a Hebrew accent.
2- In addition to Egyptian names, these books present us with a few typical
Egyptian customs, only known to someone who lived in Egypt in that period of time,
among them the custom of eunuchs marriage, only referred to once in the Old
Testament (Genesis 37:36, and 39:1). The word eunuch here, probably referred to
someone occupying a high position in the court of Pharaoh (Genesis 40:20); a habit
not known in Israel, that occurred only in a late period, with King Herod (Matthew
14:6; Mark 6:21). And also the Egyptian tradition of the Pharaoh offering his signet
ring placing a gold chain around the neck of whom he wishes to honor (Genesis
41:42); was not known in Israel while known in Egypt, in Persia and Babylon (Isaiah
3:10, 12:8, 10; Daniel 5:29). Also, isolating Josephs brothers from him and from the
Egyptians at the dining table (Genesis 43: 32), explaining the reason by the expression
Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for this is an abomination to the
Egyptians. Moreover, mentioning that every shepherd is an abomination to the
Egyptians (Genesis 46:34). The author made it clear that he is familiar with the
land of the priests in Egypt (Genesis 47: 32).
3- Geographically speaking, the author is aware of the features of the River
Nile, as well as the sand of the desert (Exodus 2:12), the Egyptian bulrushes (Exodus
2:3), the location of Ramases, Succoth (Exodus 2: 37), Etham (Exodus 13:20) and PiHahiroth (Exodus 14:2). His realization of its geographic location is obvious from his
saying: the wilderness has closed them in(Exodus 24: 3).
(4) Many scholars believe that the statutes concerning the Levites (Exodus
20-23; 25: 31; 35: 40; Numbers 5: 6; 8: 10; 15-19), and mentioned in the Book of
Leviticus, carry signs that they were established in the days of Moses, and not at a
later time. In this regard, some of the evidences presented by Rawlinson are1:
1- Prof. Maine2 believes that these statutes are primitive and fitting Moses era,
having been a mixture of religious, civil, behavioral and economic statutes.
2- The Statutes were characterized by a historical and events telling aspect,
evidence that they were written during the journey in the wilderness.
3- Certain Statutes were fit for nomads, living in tents.
4- It is noteworthy that these statutes avoided speaking of the sun in a revering
way, as in worship, proving that the writer cared about keeping them from worshiping
the sun, as the Egyptians did.
(5) Some scholars believe that the Book of Deuteronomy bears in itself the
testimony that it was written in the time of Moses, and not, as some others allege,
during the reign of king Josiah or Manasseh. For example, the way it dealt with
expelling the Canaanites from the land fits the days of Moses, and not those of the
kings (Deuteronomy 20: 10- 20).
11
As we mentioned that in the twelfth century Bin Ezra figured out from what
came in Genesis 12:6, that the writer of this Book seems to speak of the departure of
the Canaanites as a past event, as though the writer had come after the prophet Moses.
In the seventeenth century (Year 1685), Richard Simon said that the five
Books used Moses notes and memoirs, but that the real writer added some references.
The philosopher Thomas Hobbes believes that these Books together with those of the
Kings, are all written by Ezra the Scribe.
The following is a quick summary of the development of studies concerning
the five Books:
12
In his study of the Book of Genesis, he claimed that the documents, being beyond the
days of Moses, are not complementary to each other, but represent three integrated
trends: of Elohistic origin, late Elohistic, and Yahwistic. Then came a fourth hand to
bind these three trends together.
In the year 1805, Wette claimed the existence of another document pertaining
to the Book of Deuteronomy, discovered in the year 1621 B.C. and it was written a
little while before then. Later on, in the year 1854, E. Reuss claimed the existence of a
fourth document that he called the Priestly Document. These documents were
assigned the following symbols:
E, to the Elohist divine.
J, to the Yahwistic Jewish.
D, to Deuteronomy - concerning the Book of Deuteronomy;
P, to the Priestly for priesthood
Graft published this hypothesis in the year 1660, to be defended by A. Keunen
(Year 1869-1870), then, given some classical expressions by J. Welhausen (Year 1878
A.D.), in his work (The History of Israel). This hypothesis was known by the name of
Graft - Welhausen, or, just Welhausen, to which some modifications were made
later on.
1- First objection
We noticed that the main factor for the emergence of these hypotheses was the
reference to God by several titles, particularly Elohim and Jehovah, which led the
critics to the believe in the existence of more than one source for these Books.
Response
If the author was just editor for several documents, he would have no trouble
using another title for God and if so, it wont be frequent or, in the same context. In
the story of creation (Genesis 1:1; 2:4), God is called Elohim; and in the completion
of the same story (Genesis 2: 4- 25), the name Jehovah is used. Likewise, in the
story of the great flood (Genesis 6:5; 9:19), the two names are successively used...
This confirms that the divine inspiration, intended to present God to believers,
through more than one name, revealing to them His work with humanity.
Sometimes, the name Elohim is used - a plural of the word God, to confirm the
Trinitarian belief and to prepare humanity for the work of salvation. As the Father
13
sends the Son to redeem us, and the Holy Spirit sets forth a fellowship between us and
the Father. Some other times, the name Jehovah is used, to reveal that He is beyond
any comprehension1. The third name is Meshadai, meaning the Almighty, who cares
for every big and small detail in the life of His children. A fourth title is El Elyon,
namely, the Exalted, to lift up the hearts of His believers to the highest. Then a fifth
name, El Olam, namely, the Eternal, to take us beyond time so we may long to be
with Him in Eternity. Briefly, the various names for God are not proofs of the
existence of other documents for the Books, but their purpose is to reveal the secret of
God and His characteristics that shape our faith, and interact with our life, concepts
and behavior.
2- Second objection
Certain scholars object saying that Moses was an actual leader and not a
2
writer .
Response
If we were introduced to the works of Moses as a leader, through the Holy
Bible, this same Book presents him to us also as an author3. In his time, or after him,
there was no man more capable of writing than him, whom the Holy Spirit could use
to present the living word of God of the time along with the divine Law.
A- If Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7: 22)
including writing, God, who sanctifies human gifts, granted him what is greater than
the wisdom of the Egyptians. He filled him with His divine wisdom so that he can
present to us these Scriptures, through the inspiration of Holy Spirit, in order for God
to work through it in all generations.
B- Moses received information pertaining to creation, from the tradition,
that was probably handed over from Adam, the first man, to the last of his
grandsons. And the latter, told what he heard from Adam to the last of his own
grandsons, and so on. Thus, Moses was to be the fifth person who receives the
tradition after Adam. Some scholars believe that Joseph, after coming to Egypt,
followed by his father, has placed the manuscripts he received from his fathers in
Pharaohs safe, then Moses acquired them from the palace.
C- The five Books included the Ten Commandments and the Law, which
Moses himself received. Moreover, he recorded the events of the exodus and the
wilderness in such details that no one else knows as much as he does.
D- Moses lived almost 40 years in the wilderness; and although preoccupied
with his responsibilities as a leader, he listened to the counsel of his father-in-law
Jethro (Exodus 18:13-26). He handed over the small cases to the Elders, to free
himself to the more important ones. This gave him the chance and the adequate time
to write.
E- The 40 years he spent as a shepherd gave him the gift of contemplating in
Gods love and His ordinances, which inflamed him to write later on. If he, humbly
proclaimed to be slow of speech and slow of tongue (Exodus 4:10), he, truly,
became a holy living instrument in the hand of God, to provide an active leadership
coherent with holy writing.
. 1
2
3
14
3- THIRD OBJECTION
Certain scholars object to refer these Books to the prophet Moses, because of
what came in the Books, from Joshua until the captivity, giving the impression that
the statutes concerning the Levites were not there; basing that view on certain phrases,
the most important of which is the following:
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt offerings to
your sacrifices and eat meat. For I did not speak to your fathers or command them in
the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or
sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying: Obey My voice, and I will be
your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have
commanded you, that it may be well with you (Jeremiah 7:21-23) (and see also Amos
5:21-25; Micah 6:6-8; Isaiah 1:11-15)
These critics claim that if Moses has written the five Books that included the
statutes and rites of sacrifices, Jeremiah and other prophets would not have spoken
with this phrase.
Response
It should not be understood from the words of Jeremiah and others that they
were unaware of the rites of sacrifices, nor that the Book of Leviticus was not yet
written. These phrases should not be interpreted literally, but rather, it should be
understood in the following way:
A- The Jews mixed between offering sacrifices to God and to idols. They
assumed that they pleased God by offering him sacrifices, while they offered pagan
sacrifices to fulfill their lusts. That is why it is said: They sacrificed to demons, not to
God (Deuteronomy 32: 17). In the Book of Ezekiel, it came that the Jews practiced
pagan worships with all their defilements, along with the Jewish rites; so, God
counted their worship as spiteful toward Him, and His glory departed from His temple
and city (See Ezekiel 10:18, 19; 11:32-33). God is not deceived by sacrifices, nor
bribed by offerings from unclean evil hands, that is why He proclaims that He did not
ask for sacrifices nor is He in need for offerings.
B- The silence of the prophets, concerning the statutes mentioned in the Book
of Leviticus, does not imply their unawareness of that Book, on the assumption that it
was not yet written, but because the backsliding in their time, was not one of
disobedience of religious rites, but rather a backslide in behavior; that is why they
cared for the practical behavioral side.
C- As long as sacrifices were mere symbols of that of the Messiah, God
considers Himself as though He did not command them since they deviated from their
goals, and became formalities, practiced only to satisfy the conscience, without
eagerness for reconciliation.
D- If critics argued that the prophets knew the Book of Deuteronomy and
learned from it rather than from the Book of Leviticus, this is because Deuteronomy is
the recalling of the actual Laws that came in Leviticus. Moreover, the prophet Amos
pointed to Leviticus (Amos 4:4-5, 5:21).
4- FOURTH OBJECTION
Some critics use geographical evidences, on the assumption that they confirm
that these Books were written in a later time rather than in the time of Moses; as for
instance saying: On this side of the Jordan (Deuteronomy 1:1, 5; 3:8; 41-49), as
though the author was speaking on the west side of the Jordan, to refer to the other
15
side (the eastern), where Moses has been. But as J. Raven says, this expression can be
used by him, who was in the east of Jordan or, equally, in a foreign land; giving
examples of that (Deuteronomy 3: 20, 25; Joshua 9: 1; Numbers 22: 1; 32: 32;
Genesis 50: 10, 11).
Of the other geographical evidences: The five Books mention the city of Dan
instead of Laish (Genesis 14:14; Deuteronomy 34:1); although Laish carried this
name only after the victory of the Danites following the time of Moses. Raven
responds to this by saying that the Dan mentioned in Genesis 14:14, is not
necessarily Laish, but may be another city that carries the same name. As to what
came in Deuteronomy 34:1, we know that the last chapter of the Book of
Deuteronomy was written after Moses death.
Also the region, called Havoth Jair, to this day (Deuteronomy 3:14) hints
that the author of that Book came after the Prophet Moses; as this name was given at a
later time (Numbers 32:41; Joshua 13:3; Judges 10:4). But Raven answers, that this
name means (villages of Jair), to which Jair, son of Manasseh, gave his name, as he
did in Bashan (Deuteronomy 3:14). Moreover, Jair, mentioned in the five Books, is
not necessarily the one mentioned in the Book of Judges.
Likewise, the saying of Joseph: For indeed I was stolen away from the land
of the Hebrews (Genesis 40:5), even though the Hebrews have not yet possessed that
land, not even in the days of Moses. Responding to this, the word Hebrews, used to
refer to those who had not settled in their land; thus, Abraham was called nomad
(Genesis 14: 13), although he has been recognized as a leader, a mighty prince,
among his people (Genesis 23: 6), also Isaac (Genesis 26: 13) and Jacob were referred
to in the same manner (Genesis 34). The land where these three Patriarchs lived for
almost two centuries, probably carried the name the land of Hebrews, and for the
same reason, the wife of Potiphar called Joseph, in more than one occasion, a
Hebrew (Genesis 39: 14, 17).
5- Fifth objection
Certain archeological evidences were also used to object the reference of these
Books to Moses; as for example the word omer in An omer is one-tenth of an
ephah (Exodus 16:36); claiming that, archeologically, the omer was not known in
the days of Moses. To answer that, we say that, since the word ephah was derived
from the Egyptian language, it was easy for the Hebrews departing from Egypt to be
familiar with it; that is why the author interpreted the omer by the ephah, known to
Moses and his contemporaries.
Likewise the expression the shekel of the sanctuary (Exodus 30:13; 38:2426), that gives the impression that the temple and its rites were already established1.
That can be answered by saying that, since this expression was new at that time, it was
repeated three times (Exodus 30:13; Leviticus 27:25; Numbers 3:47), because it was
not yet used.
Moses speaks of the origin of Og king of Bashan and of his iron bedstead
(Deuteronomy 3:11), as if his readers did not know him, although, in the days of
Moses, that king was defeated and killed2, so why would he tell them about him? This
objection can be answered by the fact that Moses was writing to the common people
who most probably were not knowledgeable about these things, even though they
fought and defeated that king; as well as writing to the future generations.
1
2
16
6- SIXTH OBJECTION
Some critics depended on certain historical evidences, to prove that Moses was
not the author of the five Books, like the poetic quote that mentioned in the Book of
Numbers 21:14, 15, after the book of the wars of the Lord by Arnon... under the
assumption that, as that book was contemporary to Moses, there was no need for that
explanation. Scholars answer that Moses was not only writing to his contemporaries
who know theses things, but also to all future generations.
They also depended on the word then in saying that And the Canaanites
were (then) in the land (Genesis 12:6; 13:7), as an evidence that the Canaanites were
not in the land when that Book was written, something that was not realized until after
the days of Moses. J. Raven answers that the word then in Genesis 12:6, was natural
and necessary; as without it, the reader may wonder if the Canaanites had already
departed from the land at the time that Book was written. Confirming their presence in
the days of Abraham, let alone, even in the days of Moses, would give the promise a
greater strength - to grant it to his descendants despite their presence. As to
mentioning it in Genesis 13:7, it represents an explanation, that there was not enough
space for the livestock of both Abraham and Lot, as the Canaanites... then dwelt in
the land.
Likewise, it came in Genesis 36:31, that Now these were the kings who
reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel, as
though the author was a contemporary of the era of the Kings. This can be argued that
although Moses, the author of these Books, was not a contemporary of the era of
Kings, yet, talking of kings reigning in the land of Edom, he understood that Gods
promise will surely be realized, through Kings reigning over the children of Israel; as
it was said to Abraham, And Kings shall come from you (Genesis 17:6); Jacob
received the same promise (Genesis 35:11), and so prophesied in his blessing to his
son Judas (Genesis 49:10); and as also prophesied by Balaam in the days of Moses
(Numbers 24:7). As it has been established in Moses mind, that Israeli Kings will
eventually be set over the children of Israel; he presented special ordinances
concerning their features and principles governing their election (Deuteronomy 17:
14-20). It is as though Moses, in his previous expression (Genesis 36:31), proclaims
that, although there were eight Kings in Edom, yet God will set for His chosen people
their own kings, despite the fact that so far that promise was not yet realized1.
Some people may question: If Moses was the author of these Books, why did
not he mention the name of the princess who emerged out of the water, and that of the
Pharaoh who afflicted him; about the death of his wife Zepporah, and the name of
his Cushite wife; beside talking about himself as a humble man! To answer that, we
say that, not mentioning the names of the princess and the Pharaoh is natural because
they were his contemporaries; and if the author lived at a later time, he would have
been committed to mention both names, according to the tradition among the Jews. As
to his silence concerning the death of his wife Zepporah, and ignoring to mention the
name of his Cushite wife, the prophet, most probably, did that intentionally, as the
second marriage was not popular at that time; he only referred to it, as a symbol of the
entrance into faith by the Gentiles, represented by the Cushite woman. As to calling
himself very humble that was not out of boasting on his part, but the divine
inspiration led him to proclaim that the main requirement for leadership is humility.
We see the Psalmist also calling himself that (Psalm 9:13, 14; 10:17). Even as a man
1
17
of God, Moses did not overlook nor disregard his shortcomings, recalling Gods
chastisements, and he was deprived from entering into the promised land; yet, it is
only fair for inspiration to note the good abilities God granted to him.
18
3
CONTENTS OF THE FIVE BOOKS
These Books presented us with a historical dialogue mingled with dogma that
reveal Gods plan concerning man. It revealed God, as the Creator of man, who cares
for his spiritual, psychological, and physical needs; He gave him authority over all
things; But, as man deprived himself of that unique position, God cared for his
salvation, by electing the Patriarchs (fathers), as a preparation for electing His people,
and to support them in every way, to deliver them from the land of bondage and to
accompany them in the wilderness, to provide them with their material food and to
present them with the holy statutes of the Law; to guide them, under the leadership of
His prophet Moses, to the Mountain of Moab, where, on the shore of the River Jordan,
He delivered them to a new Leader, Joshua, the symbol of Lord Jesus Christ, the
Grantor of inheritance.
19
Deuteronomy 4:34-11.
Deuteronomy 12 26.
Deuteronomy 27 30.
Deuteronomy 31.
Deuteronomy 32.
Deuteronomy 33.
Deuteronomy 34.
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AN INTRODUCTION TO
ITS WRITER
The prophet Moses; It has been the belief that he wrote it in Median, as he was
shepherding the sheep of Jethro, his father-in-law. More likely, he wrote it after
receiving the two tablets of the Law. He learned how to write from the Egyptians, and
gained from their wisdom. He, who taught the disciples to speak with tongues, on the
day of the Pentecost, is surely able to teach Moses how to write.
21
his discretion.
That is why, God created man a master over earth, having authority over
everything on earth and beneath it; in the sea or in air... even in space! He granted him
His image and likeness, and set him as His own ambassador.
Gods view of us and His pride in us are demonstrated in his yearning to relate
Himself to us, when we are prepared for that; calling Himself the God of Abraham, of
Isaac, and of Jacob... He wishes to be a special God to everyone of His children.
3- This Book showed Gods exalted fatherhood to man; He did not create
him captive, as claimed by some contemporary philosophies; nor set him in humility,
controlling him according to His discretion, but He set him as a beloved son, for
whose sake He created the world; prepared for him the eternal glories, to raise him to
where God, his Father is, in order to have fellowship in His glories, and to enjoy
exalted fatherhood. It was said, that someone, on his deathbed, joyfully smiled while
addressing God: Did You create the world for my sake, or, was it me who created it?
Now, I can say that You are capable of gratifying me and caring for me!
This is the goal of the Book of Genesis: to present us with God, the Creator of
the material world and the Founder of the spiritual one. In His compassionate
fatherhood, He created the material earth and the heaven, for my sake, to prepare me
for His Second Coming, to enjoy the new heaven and earth in an angelic and eternal
level.
4- Some believe that this is the most important of the Holy Bible books; laying
the foundation for every revelation; opening the door for us to comprehend sound
theological concepts: introducing us to God and His relationship, and His divine
commandment and its work in our life. It talked to us about the human family in the
Lord, and how He prepared the creation of man, built a holy family, a tribe, and then
the people of God. He revealed to us the concept of marriage and family life, and told
us about our relationship with the body and the physical world. He unveiled the devil,
and revealed his deadly plans, and his yearning for the destruction of man. Finally,
this Book lays the foundation for the history of salvation and prophecy, etc.
5- God, in His love for man, presented him with His secrets, as far as he can
hold, not for the sake of mere intellectual knowledge, but to enter with him into a
fellowship; like a friend who opens His heart to his fellow, to enter with him from day
to day into new levels of friendship. For instance, when God tells us about His divine
titles, it is to let us get to know Him through these titles, and to enjoy His work with,
and in us. We do not find in this Book, theoretical philosophical writings, hard
principles, or literal laws; But we meet God transfigured as a friend: We meet Him
walking in the garden of Eden, in the morning blowing wind, to encounter the fallen
man; and in the field, we see Him debating with Cain, the murderer; and in the
rebellion of Babylon, we find Him coming down to see what man was doing; and in
the heat of the day, He accepts, with His two angels, the hospitability of Abraham; and
along the way, He meets Jacob in a fight to destroy his self pride.
6- As sin corrupted the sight of man, and deprived him from the ability to
encounter his Almighty friend, this Book presented us with the method of
worshipping God by two inseparable means: the sacrifice, for the sake of
reconciliation, and the live behavior sustaining the attributes of God. Thus, this Book
taught us the concept of worship, as a secret of reconciliation with God, through the
sacrifice, and life with Him through partaking in active love.
7- We can say that the whole Scriptures came to reveal what this Book
contained about Gods conversation with the serpent: I will put enmity between
22
you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your
head, and you shall bruise his heel (Genesis 3: 15). The Holy Bible is proclaiming
the bitter struggle, between the devil and man, that ends up in mans victory through
the sacrifice of the Lord Christ (the womans seed), though some men would perish,
when they become victims going down to dust, to be crushed and devoured by the
serpent.
8- In its presentation of the Patriarchs, the Book did not give us bare stories of
their lives, but Gods dealings with them, revealing that every move of their lives, and
every action, however of no apparent importance, represents a part of Gods salvation
plan... namely, that God utilizes His children, in all their actions, as righteousness
instruments, that work for His Kingdom, in their personal and their community life.
But the Book clarified two aspects: the first is that God is working in His children,
but not without them; Thus Abraham would not have stayed Abraham with all what
he carried from grace and honor, a father of fathers, without Abraham Himself. God
dignifies and sanctifies human freedom, and deals with us on a level of friendship - as
between equals -, not as with solid machines that He moves mechanically. The second
aspect is highlighting varied and marvelous heroisms, as those of Abraham the lover
of God, Jacob who violated the first-born right, and Sarah the ideal wife... However,
these came through the actual reality of the human beings, the life of the hero was
not free from human weakness. He describes them as they are without overlook
their fall in sin or their human weaknesses.
9- This Book began by talking of the work of God as a Creator, creating life
out of nothing, but ends with Joseph in his shrouds in Egypt (Gen. 50: 29). The life
that God set was corrupted by mans evil, as he got himself (the living man) into the
shrouds of darkness and uncleanness, to be buried in Egypt. It is significant that this
Book ends with the burial in Egypt, in particular, known for the pyramids, the sphinx,
and the art of mummification, still an object of scientific interest... as though man,
whatever great are his art and great works and achievements, cannot get away from the
shrouds. He gets buried in Egypt, until the Savior Messiah comes to it on a thin
cloud, to raise him up from the shrouds, and to free him from the darkness of the
tomb.
10- The prophet Moses, wrote this Book, in a historical style, to present us
with the truth, simply and clearly, away from the fictions and myths that were then
filling the world.
If Christ the Lord, as the Savior of the world, is the center of the two
Testaments of the Holy Bible, Genesis presented us with much about the Savior, not
only through direct prophecies, but also through several symbols, that we shall talk
about in some detail in due course, the most important of which are:
1- The tree of life in the middle of the garden of Eden (Gen 3: 22) refers to
Christ the Lord, who declares His kingdom within the heart, as a tree of life in the
middle of Paradise that delights the heart of the Father, as it delights our hearts. He is
the Tree that gives life to the whole world (John 3:16).
2- After the fall, worship began by offering bloody sacrifices, as sign for the
blood of Christ the Lord, the Unique Sacrifice, through Whom our worship is
accepted as a sweet and pleasing aroma to the Father.
3- The ark of Noah and the great flood are symbols of Christ the Lord, the
Grantor of renewal to the world, not through the water of the flood, but through that of
Baptism. As for the wooden ark, it is the Cross that embraced the believers and kept
them from destruction (1 Peter 2:20, 21).
4- The offering of Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20)is a symbol of the
sacrifice of Christ the Lord in the New Testament, through the bread and wine,
transformed into His body and blood, granting sanctification (Hebrew 8: 5-8).
5- Isaacs submission to his father Abraham, carrying the wood, offering
himself even unto death (Genesis 22), symbolizes the submission of the incarnated
Son to His Father, carrying the wooden cross ((Philippians 2: 8).
6- Accomplishing marriages at the water wells, as for example choosing
Rebecca and Rachel, is a symbol of choosing the Church as the bride of Christ the
Lord through the water of Baptism.
7- The ladder seen by Jacob set up between earth and heaven (Genesis
28:12), and angels ascending and descending on it, refers to the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ through which the reconciliation between heaven and earth is realized (2
Corinthians 5:18; Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 1:20, 21); The ascending angels are the
Holy Church lifted up by Him to the bosom of His Father; while those descending, are
the Jews who rejected Him, to go down to the abyss through their denying the cross.
8- The life of Joseph was rich in symbols of Christ the Lord in many respects,
as:
a- Joseph was the beloved son of his father, as Christ the Lord, the Onlybegotten Son, with Whom the Father was pleased.
b- His father gave him a colored tunic; referring to the Father giving His Son
a Church of many talents.
c- Joseph descending to visit his brothers, refers to the descent of the Word of
God to us to seek us as brothers.
d- Casting Joseph in the pit and selling him, symbolize the descent of the
Lord Christ into Hades, and Judas betraying Him.
e- His falling into slavery in Egypt without any sin from his part, but for his
brothers hatred, is the symbol of Christ the Lord becoming a slave for our sake.
f- Leaving his garments in the hands of the Egyptian woman, refers to the
Lord Christ leaving His shrouds in the tomb; as death could not overcome Him or hide
the resurrection that is in Him.
g- Josephs encounter, in prison, with the kings butler who was acquitted
the baker who was sentenced to death, refers to His resurrection and death.
h- Saving his brothers life refers to the glorified Lord Christ, Savior of
humanity and Grantor of its life.
24
OUTLINE
(1) The Early History:
1- Creation of the world and the fall of man.1-3.
2- Murdering Abel.
4.
3- Noah and renewal of the world.
5-10.
4- The tower of Babel.
11.
12-25.
21-27.
25-36.
37-50.
25
CHAPTER 1
1.
2.
3-5.
6-8.
9-13.
14-19.
20-23.
24-31
INTRODUCTION
In this study I like to be committed to the spirit of the Church, that sees the
Scripture, not as a scientific or a philosophic book, but as a source of life with God, to
be enjoyed and lived by man. That is why, when St. Basil the Great, wrote his
articles on the six days of creation The Hexaemeron, he made it clear that the work
of the Church is not researching the nature of things and creatures, but studying their
work and benefits. Likewise, St. Augustine declared: [It is beyond your ability to
comprehend how God created these things; as you, yourself, are created to obey Him
as a slave, in order to comprehend Him as a friend1.]
It is as though we, being creatures of God, should receive His work with joy
considering ourselves to be slaves; and as He grants us wisdom and understanding of
His mysteries, we would live with Him as His friends and beloved.
We can concisely introduce the following remarks on the presentation of the
Book of Genesis on the creation:
a- This Book presented us with the events of creation in a simple and true way,
in order to be understood and enjoyed by the simple man, and appreciated for its depth
by the scientist.
b- Many western scholars confirmed that what came in the Book of Genesis,
did not contradict the scientific facts according to modern thought. In their view, what
came in it concerning the evolution of creation conforms to a great extent with the
scientifically accepted theories in that concern. Many research studies on this issue,
were published by pious scientists; but I do not want to go into details that take us
away from interpreting the word of God.
The Church of St. George, the great martyr, in Sporting, Alexandria, Egypt,
published a simplified study by Professor Dr. Youssef Riad, dealing with this subject,
titled, Conforming between modern science and the Holy Bible. Likewise, the
Diocese of Youth, issued a publication on The six days of creation by Dr. Fawzi
Elias.
c- It is to be noted that the word day in the first chapter of the Book of
Genesis, does not mean a 24-hour day, but implies a time era which may extend to
1
On Ps. 102.
millions of years. The sun, the moon, and the rest of the stars, were not yet created
until the fourth era, and so, there was, then, no time as we have nowadays.
Likewise there was day and night in the current tangible sense. Several Church Fathers
confirmed this, like St. Jerome1. And even after creation, the Scripture often speaks
of a day in a sense beyond our comprehension; as for example the saying of the
Psalmist, For a day your courts is better than a thousand (Psalm 84:10; also see
Psalm 90: 4; and 2 Peter 3: 8).
The word day, in the Scripture, came according to several concepts: It often
implies eternity, where there is no beginning, as when the Father addressed the Son
saying: You are My Son; Today I have begotten You (Psalm 2:7; Acts 13:32;
Hebrew 1:5); and calling the Father, The Ancient of days (Daniel 7:9), meaning the
Eternal. About the day, in the sense of its eternity - beyond time - it is described
as The day of the Lord (Acts 2:20); that is to say, His ultimate coming, when time
comes to an end. And it is said of the Lord Jesus Christ: To Him be the glory both
now and forever. Amen (2 Peter 3:18).
d- Some people may object to what came in the Book of Genesis concerning
the creation of the first man. Based on the discovery of fossilized bones of man, dated
to more than million years of age; beside the discovery of ancient art inscriptions of
the early man... How can we interpret that?
1- By a simple calculation, we realize that the present population of the world,
could not be the product of more than 6000 years. This is the case if we assume that
every family would produce three children, and subtract a high ratio of mortality, both
of natural and catastrophic causes. If we accept the theory of a million year history of
man on earth, one single man in a million years would produce descendants, which
thousand folds of the earth area could never accommodate.
2- Assuming that every era of time could be several millions of years long,
these fossilized bones could be related to mammals that carried some human features
and capabilities, but lack the Breath of Life that God gave specially to Adam and
Eve. These creatures therefore are not to be counted as human, even if they carry
certain similarities.
e- If this Book present to us a very concise chapter of the work of God at the
beginning of creation, it means that God, who was working for our sake, still keeps on
His creative work in our life, unceasingly. What He formerly did will not come to an
end; He keeps on working in mans life, to make of his depths a new heaven and a
new earth, to be dwelt by righteousness; according to the words of Christ our Lord:
My Father has been working until now, and I have been working (John 5:17).
Therefore in our present interpretation, we should seek the continuous work of God in
our inner life, to create in us continually, renewing our depths.
I pray, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, to be able to present the spiritual
interpretation, along with the historical and literal interpretations.
Hom. 1.
Philosophers claim, sharing with God His eternity. This is what St. Basil confirmed in
His work The six days of creation or the (Hexaemeron), saying, that the expression
In the beginning does not imply a certain time, otherwise the beginning would have
a beginning and an end; and so this beginning would have a start, thus entering into an
endless series of beginnings. But, The beginning here, means a preliminary
movement, and not a time quantity; as for example saying: The fear of God is the
beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9: 10)1. He also says: [Do not assume, man, that the
seen world has no beginning, just because the celestial bodies move in a circular
course; that because of the difficulty to fix a point of beginning for that circular
movement, you think it is by nature, with no beginning2.] He also says: [Whatever
begins at a certain time, would also end at a certain time3.] This does not imply the
existence of time at the beginning of the movement, but confirms the uprooting of the
theory of eternity. Although there was no time, yet, there was a beginning, before
which the world was naught. Science confirms the non-eternity of material4.
Several Church Fathers adopt, beside this literal or historical interpretation for
In the beginning, the symbolic or spiritual interpretation; believing that it means In
Jesus Christ, or In the Word of God, the heavens and the earth were created. In the
following are some of these interpretations:
The Son, Himself, is the beginning. When the Jews asked Him Who are You?
He answered them, saying: I am from the beginning (John 8:25)5.
St. Augustine
Who is the beginning of everything, other than our Lord and the Savior of all
men (1 Timothy 4: 10), Jesus Christ, The firstborn over all creation (Col 1: 15)?
In that beginning, that is, in His Word, God created the heavens and the earth.
And as the Evangelist John says at the beginning of His Gospel: In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the
beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing
was made, that was made (John 1:1-3). The Scripture does not talk about a time
beginning, but about this beginning, that is the Savior, by whom the heavens and
the earth were made6.
Origen
Some think of The beginning in term of time, but he who contemplates in the
word the beginning, would realize that it carries more than just one meaning.
Sometimes it means the cause, the meaning here would be that the heavens and
the earth exist in the cause... Actually everything was done by the Word; as in
Jesus Christ, everything in heaven or on earth were created; the seen and the
unseen things7.
St. Didymus the Blind
In short, we say that God created the world in a certain beginning; and the
world did not share eternity with Him. On the other hand, the Word of God is the
beginning, who has no beginning, the Creator of everything. In the beginning
1
. : : . 4
5
PL 46:821.
In Gen. hom 1:1.
7
In Gen. hom 1.
6
Hexaemeron 2:1.
De Baptismo 2.
world was created, when the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the
waters1.
St. Clement of Alexandria
The water was the beginning of the world, as the Jordan was the beginning of the
Gospel2.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
If Baptism on that day, was pre-proclaimed through the shadow, there could not be
a true, and sure Baptism, without the Spirit3.
St. Jerome
As to the expression hover, St. Basil says that a Syrian scholar believes that
the Syrian language is capable of giving more meaning than the Hebrew; being
translated as to embrace; as though the Spirit liken a bird embraces eggs, to provide
them with life through its own warmth4. St. Ambrose believes that the movement of
the Spirit, here, is a continuous movement of love, for a creative work in the life of
man, saying: [How can He Who has been moving before the creation of the earth
cease to move after creating it?!5]
Ecol Proph 7.
Cat. Lect. 3:5.
3
On Ps. hom 10.
4
Hexaemeron 2:6.
5
Of the Holy Spirit 2:5.
2
day1.]
St. Augustine, probably had the same thought, when he said that the light that
emerged on the first day was not produced by the sun, but probably was material light,
coming from exalted places, beyond our vision2.
(2) From the symbolic side, St. Augustine3 believes that that light concerns
the holy heavenly city that embraces the saintly angels, and where the believers enjoy
eternity called by the apostle, The Jerusalem above,... which is the mother of us all
(Galatians 4:26); in which we shall have our portion, having been said, You are the
sons of light and the sons of day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness (1
Thessalonians 5:5). St. Augustine believes that the heavenly enjoyed that light that
emerged on the first day, through watching the amazing works of God along all the
successive stages; Yet if their knowledge of creation is compared with that of God,
theirs is counted as (evening).
We can say that the works of God began with the setting forth of light, for the
angels to behold and glorify Him. Likewise, at the onset of the new creation, the Lord
shone on us with His divine light, from the holy tomb, with His resurrection, so that,
as we become raised in Him, His glory would be proclaimed in us. In our new creation
- in the water of Baptism - we enjoy the divine light, the light of His resurrection,
working in us, as the first divine work in our life. That is the reason for calling
Baptism, The Sacrament of Enlightenment.
(3) God divided the light from the darkness, so that we receive the light as
children of the light and of the day, and reject the darkness, so as not to fall under the
fatal night of ignorance.
God grants us the inner light to scatter the ancient darkness, according to the
saying of the apostle: You were once darkness (Ephesians 5: 8). He also grants us
the Spirit of discernment, so as to separate, with the Spirit of God, between light and
darkness, so as not to fall under the prophetical woe, Woe to those who call evil
good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter
for sweet, and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20).
(4) Darkness is not a substance created by God, but it is a deprivation of
light. Once light appeared, darkness was exposed and recognized. Nevertheless, as St.
Augustine says, God orders the light, that He created, and the darkness He did not,
and they obey Him4.
(5) St. Hippolytus of Rome believes that [On the first day, God created things
out of nothingness; But other days, He did not create things out of nothingness, but,
rather from things He created on the first day, transforming them according to His
pleasure5.]
Several Fathers commented on the phrase said,... and there was, that the
whole, creation along the six stages, took place as a result of the divine utterance. St.
Ambrose says: [God did not create things with instruments or art, but He spoke and
it was done (Psalm 33:9); the power of action lies in the divine utterance6.] And St.
. . 1
2
Hexaemeron 2:6.
Hexaemeron 3:10.
3
In 1 Tim. Hom. 12.
4
On Ps. 71.
5
City of God 11:23.
2
.( ) 6
waters, to receive the waters of the Holy Spirit, the Exalted and Life-Giver (John
4:14); and to get high above the waters that are beneath, that is to say of the depth,
dwelt by the dragon, that the ancient serpent, and the marine beast, the killer of human
soul (Revelation 12:7; 20: 3). Whoever enjoys setting forth in the firmament, discerns
between the grace of the Spirit, and the deceits of the devil.
Origen says: [As the believer connects himself to the waters above, that is
high in the heaven, he becomes heavenly, and would seek the high and exalted things;
would not have earthly thoughts, but everything heavenly; would seek those things
that are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1); to
be worthy of Gods praise, saying: God saw, it was good1.]
St. Augustine2 attacked what Origen said in his book De Principiis, that the
waters above, are the good spirits, which were created by God, and remained on their
goodness, on account of their attachment to God. But, once they isolated themselves
from Him, they turned lowly, to be punished by God through casting them down to
earth, and giving them bodies; as though the world in which we live, is a punishment
given by God to fallen angels, who were clothed with bodies as a sort of chastisement.
This theory was also rejected by St. Epiphanius and by the Fathers of the Church, as
it distorts our look at the world, defiles the body, devaluates man, and gives the
impression of reincarnation of the spirits.
falls down gradually, which led to contraction and cracking of the earths crust,
resulting in the formation of deep troughs, rivers, lakes and seas. Seas and oceans
gathered together into one place, but the seas that are now isolated, have resulted from
different physical factors.
Now, we put aside the literal or historical interpretation, and consider the
spiritual or symbolic one. We find Origen discerning between dry land and earth;
the dry land, covered with water, refers to man, covered with sin and trespasses,
turning into a land soaking with water, unfit for fruition. But, if sin retreats from it, it
turns from barren dry land into fertile land capable of giving forth fruit, that can
produce herbs, legume, and trees, that is, yield a spiritual crop some a hundredfold,
some sixty, and some thirty (Matthew 13:8). Origen says: [If we do not separate
ourselves from the waters that are under the firmament, that is the sins and
transgressions of our body, earth can not appear in our life, and we can not enjoy to
grow in light; For everyone practicing evil hates the light, and does not come to the
light, lest his deeds should be exposed; but he who does the truth comes to the light,
that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have done in God (John 3:20-21). We
are not to be granted this confidence, unless we become separated from that waters,
and cast off the transgressions of the body, the basis of our sins; otherwise the dried
up member in us would stay dry1.]
I wish that we receive Gods work in us, to have our inner dry land
transformed into a sanctified one, that produces spiritual fruits pleasing God, and not
to carry curse and produce thorns and thistles. Origen also says: [If some people are
still dry and fruitless, and carry thorns and thistles (Gen 3:18), these carry curse,
whose end is to be burned (Hebrew 6:8; Isaiah 9:17-18); But with strife and
persistence, as they separate themselves from the water of the abyss, the way of the
devil, they appear as fertile land, then they become worthy of asking the Lord to move
them to a land of milk and honey.] He also says, [Let us wake up, we are still, not yet
a dry land! Let us present to God much and diversified fruits, to be blessed by the
Lord, who may say: The smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord
has blessed (Gen 27:27); and, in us, would be realized the saying of the apostle: For
the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for
those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessings from God; but if it bears thorns and
briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. (Hebrew
6:7-8)2.
St. Ambrose3 believes that, the earth bearing fruit, is a sign of raising the body
from death. As life set forth from the earth by the order of the Lord, so, also, by His
order life will be restored to our deadly body. Nature obeys Him, as well as the dried
up bones, in the great day of the Lord.
10
moon, to illuminate the world, and works in each of its members to make, out of him,
a star to circulate in its own orbit, shedding light and splendor on the earth. Origen
says: [Christ is the light of the world, Who illuminates the Church with His light. As
the moon gets its light from the sun to illuminate the darkness, so the Church gets its
light from Christ to reflect it on those who are in the darkness of ignorance1.] He also
says, [Moses, one of these stars, shines in us, and his works illuminate us; So also
Abraham, Isaiah, Jacob, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, all those for whom the Holy Scripture
gave testimony, that they pleased God (Hebrew 11:5)2.] And says: [The higher we go,
the better we can contemplate in the sunrise, and the better would be the splendor and
warmth. In a similar way, the higher our thought is lifted up to Christ, the nearer it
gets to the splendor and beauty of His light, as He, Himself, says: Return to Me,
says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you (Zechariah 1: 3)... If we are capable
of rising up with Him to the top of the mountain, like Peter, James, and John, we shall
enjoy the light of Christ, and the voice of the Father, Himself3.]
The stars, with their different kinds, sizes, and distant locations, create in the
soul an inner longing for drifting in the heaven of the Church, so that the soul would
rise from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18), to become, through Jesus Christ a
greater star.
The Book says: God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on
the earth. (Gen. 1:17) It is as though, every spiritual star, in order to keep its nature
as a star, and its work to give light to the earth, it should stay in the firmament,
namely remain a bearer of the heavenly nature; as if it falls down to earth, it looses its
being a star, and would harm the earth instead of giving it light. So also, every soul,
for the sake of complimenting others, falls together with them into love of worldly
matters, and lives with a worldly mind, would lose its heavenly nature, the light of
God would darken in it, and would let many others perish with her. Therefore, let us
love the earth by staying in the firmament of heaven; not out of pride or hypocrisy, but
with love, reflecting the light of the sun of righteousness on others; comprehending
that the secret of enlightenment is not in us, but it is in the sun of righteousness, who
shines on all for free.
If earth refers to the body, when the soul carries the new heavenly nature, and
rises up to the firmament of heaven as a star, it reflects the light of the Lord on the
body to enlighten it; and our earth (body) would, no more, be an obstacle on the way
of our salvation, but carries the light of the Savior in it. In this way, the body walks
with the soul in harmony, and the words God set them in the firmament of the
heavens to give light on the earth.
St. Theophilus of Antioch, in the second century A D, has certain comments
on the creation of great lights in the fourth day. In his opinion, the first three days refer
to God, His Word, and His Wisdom - He probably meant the Holy Trinity - Then
came the fourth day, referring to humanity, created by God as shining stars, committed
to divine commandment. These stars are of two kinds: Steadfast and shining like the
prophets and who walk in their paths, and wandering stars that alter their locations,
referring to those who lost their way to God and abandoned His commandment4.
In Gen. 1:5.
In Gen. 1:7.
3
In Gen. 1:7.
4
To Autolycus 2:15.
2
11
BIRDS
As circumstances were convenient to create aquatic animals, He says: Let the
waters abound with an abundance of living creatures. (Gen 1:20) That means that
the beginning of creatures that have living souls was in water. And, as St. Ambrose
says: [As waters, by the Word of God, gave forth naturally to living creatures, in a like
way, the Holy waters, now, also by the Word of God, give birth to living creatures,
according to grace; living as fishes, likening Christ, the true Fish.]
St. Augustine believes that, in the emergence of living reptiles from water, is
a living portrait of the emergence of the ancient people, crawling out of the Red Sea,
carrying life inside them, as though out of the water of Baptism1. What symbolically
happened to them is being actually realized with us2.
Origen believes, that in the reptiles, there is a reference to the wicked
thoughts, that turns us like creatures that crawl on earth, with hearts that are bound to
dust; While birds, on the other hand, refer to the good thoughts that take us up to the
heavenly, saying: [Let the birds soar in the firmament of heavens, and never crawling
on earth... Let us concentrate our attention on the reptiles that could harm us... If we
look at a woman to lust for her, we shall be like a serpent (that crawls), but if we have
more reason, even if we are desired by (the Egyptian woman), we shall be like a bird,
leave our Egyptian garment, and fly with our wings away from her wicked plots (Gen.
39:7). If we deliver ourselves to thoughts of robbery, we would be adopting the work
of the serpent; Otherwise, we are like a bird, soaring above the earthly, in the
firmament of heavens3.]
Origen wonders, if reptiles refer to the evil thoughts, why is it said that God
saw that everything was good? He answers that, even in the devils opposition to us, if
we end up enjoying the crown of conquest, everything would be good4.
St. Theophilus of Antioch believes that, although some fishes are good,
referring to those who enjoy the blessings of the baptismal font, and do not seek even
what is theirs, namely having no private possessions, yet, some fishes are evil, the big
and strong, feeding on the small and weak. The same is true for the birds: some are
good and some are evil: [Those who forsake their wickedness, and live with
righteousness in spirit, fly upward and please the will of God, but those who do not
worship God nor know Him would be like some sort of birds who, although they
posses wings, yet they are unable to fly, thus they do not soar up in exalted godly
matters5.]
On Ps. 81.
On Ps. 81.
3
In Gen. hom 1:8.
4
In Gen. hom 1:10.
5
To Autolycus 2:16, 17.
2
12
13
man, to make of man a god.] What the contemporary atheists carry, of a longing
toward Deity, is actually an inner thirst toward eternity, set through the image that
only man enjoyed among all earthly creatures; and as Costi Bandali says: [The
limitless hopes of man, is in man, the image of the limitless God, who invites him to
share His life1.]
Karl Marx, thought of making himself a god for himself, through his denial of
existence of God; and did not realize that what he harbors inside him of yearning to
Deity, is the fruit of being created in Gods image, despite its deviation from its
supposed course. When facing the problem of death, Marx was helpless; he tried to
avoid it in his voluminous work, except once, because of his confusion before death,
and realization that, then, he would lose the deity he set for himself. That became clear
in his saying: [The death of my son hurt me real bad, that I still feel the bitterness of
losing him like that very day2.] Here, every hope he has is destroyed, and his meaning
of life is lost. The Marxists, in a state of confusion, then began to debate, in their
conventions, the problem of Meaning of life and death.
If contemporary atheists thought that, in destroying the relationship with God,
they are setting up the human being, we say that our unity with God Who created us in
His image and according to His likeness and died to save us has granted us fellowship
in His nature, and enjoyment of His glories beyond the limits of time and place. We
carry His image, as if we are His personal currency, not to be confiscated by another,
but to be drawn to Him, so that the image may exist with the original; and as the Lord
says: Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are
Gods (Matthew 22: 12). As we are carrying His image, we yearn to return to Him
and enjoy His bosom.
The following are some comments written by the Fathers of the Church about
the creation of man in Gods image and according to His likeness:
Notice the superiority of man as a creature that surpasses any other creature.
Actually God did create man according to His own image and likeness. That is not
found in the creation of heaven, or earth, or the sun, or the moon.
What is created in Gods image is our inner man, the unseen which is not carnal, or
dead, or mortal. By these real traits, the image of God is characterized and
recognized3.
Origen
I mean what the Lord said when He saw the coin of Caesar: Render to Caesar the
things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are Gods (Matthew 22:12), He
means, as Caesar requests you to seal his image, God also requests the same; Thus,
Caesars coin would be given back to him; while the soul would be returned to
God, enlightened and sealed with the splendor of His image4.
You have printed Your traits on us! You created us in Your image and according to
Your likeness! You made us Your currency; yet Your coins should not remain in
darkness. Send the ray of Your wisdom to scatter our darkness, for Your image to
shine in us5.
.19 1
.51 2
3
14
Do not fetch out how to return the reward to Him... Reflect back His image; He
does not ask for more... He wants His coin back... Do not offer Him something of
yours, because when you do this, you would only offer Him sin1.
St. Augustine
(2) God created the human soul in His image and according to His likeness,
meaning like the Holy Trinity. The human soul is an uttering being; and although
being and nature are of one essence, yet being is different from uttering and from life.
So, with great difference, the Father is His own being, uttering is the Word of God,
and life is the Holy Spirit. God is One in essence, He is the Being, uttering by His
Son, living by the Holy Spirit.
(3) Only in the creation of man, God says: Let us make, in plural, for, the
Holy Trinity likes to work together with pleasure, for the sake of this beloved being.
(4) God created man at the end, to crown him as a king over creation; and as
we say in the Gregorian Liturgy, that He did not let him in need of anything... He
created everything for his sake and gave him authority, saying: Be fruitful and
multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have domination over the fish of the sea, over
the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Gen 1:28)
He did not create him as a humiliated slave; but one of authority over himself as well
as over all creatures.
Origen says: [That refers to what springs of the soul, as well as whims of the
heart, or to the outcome of carnal lusts and body stimulus. Saints who preserve the
blessing of the Lord, have power over these things, they control man entirely by the
will of the Spirit. Contrarily, the sinners fall under the power of the product of body
defilement and its lusts2.] The true Christian, according to St. Isaac the Syrian, is a
king, having authority over everything, who has the power to dismiss some thoughts,
and to introduce others.
(5) Man was created in the sixth day, or the sixth stage. After his creation God
did not only see him as good, but as very good (Gen. 1:31). Then, God rested on
the seventh day, that is to say rejoiced in man, the object of His love. As man was
created in the sixth day, Christ the Lord offered His life as redemption on the cross, to
restore man or to renew him spiritually on the sixth day, in the sixth hour. St.
Augustine3 believes that Christ the Lord came to man in the sixth stage to renew him
and restore him to the image of God. St. Augustine divides the history of salvation
into the following periods: The first, from Adam to Noah; the second, from Noah to
Abraham, the third, from Abraham to David, the fourth, from David to the captivity
by Babylonians, and the fifth, from the captivity by Babylonians to the mission of
John the Baptist. We are, now, in the sixth stage, or, the sixth day, when the Lord
Christ came to renew our creation until the world comes to an end, and we enter into
His rest, in the day of the Lord, or in the seventh day.
(6) In His talk about creation, He mentioned that of man, in a very concise and
accurate way, saying: Male and female He created them (Gen. 1:27); although, later
on, He would deal with the creation of Adam then Eve in more detail. At the
beginning He said that male and female He created them, to confirm that we have
one father and one mother, binding all humanity with the bond of one blood, and to
confirm another aspect, the sanctification of the sacrament of matrimony between man
1
On Ps. 103.
In Gen. hom 1:16.
3
On Ps. 93.
2
15
and woman, being the source of union between the two of them. Origen says: [All the
works of God are accomplished by the interaction of united pairs - as heaven and
earth, sun and moon, and so the Holy Scripture aimed to reveal that man is the work
of God that cannot be realized without fullness and the consummation in a union that
fits him1.] In other words, God created man, as male and female, to have in them a
movement of love, one toward the other, not in a lusty carnal way, but in what is far
more exalted, as a sign of an inner life, that gives with no expectation of a return. If
the Holy Trinity is the Trinity of love, eternally reacting together in a movement of
love, then, God wants humanity to carry true love, because of the nature of the innate
love, and not for the sake of reward. Perhaps this is the first goal of human life in
general, and also that of the married couples life.
The Holy Scripture says: Then God blessed them, and said to them, Be
fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have domination (Gen. 1:28) And
as St. Augustine says: [Fruitfulness and multiplying to fill the earth, are blessing gifts
from God in the gift of marriage that God established from the beginning, before the
fall of man, when male and female He created them, meaning that He created them
as two distinctive genders2.] Origen says: [Man could not be fruitful and multiply
without the woman; so God gave him the woman, so that he does not doubt the
potential of the blessing3.]
God created man as male and female in order to beget children, even if they
had not fallen into the sin of rebellion. And not as some people think, that begetting
came as the fruit of sin. That is why St. Augustine4 confirms that begetting is
realized, not as a fruit of lust, but as a part of the glory of marriage, set by God
Himself. He also rejects the thought that the sin committed by the first parents has
been the lust of the body that stripped their purity, but he says that lust came as one of
the fruits of disobedience.
Finally, Origen5 gives another allegoric interpretation, seeing in man a symbol
of mind, and in woman that of spirit, as though mind and spirit together must be
united in a holy life, as two harmonious factors, to beget children with power over the
earth, in particular, over the body and all its energies. In other words, there is no
spiritual life without the mind or without the spirit. In fact, the two should get along
and act in harmony, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be fruitful in the Lord
with what pleases His heart.
In the New Testament, as God lifts us up to a heavenly angelic life, some
people prefer a life of virginity, not to despise marriage or stand against it, but as
dedication of their life to worship or serve, according to the words of the apostle Paul:
I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things that belong
to the Lord - how he may please the Lord. But he who is married, cares about the
things of the world - how he may please his wife (1 Corinthians 7: 32-33). The
apostle is not despising marriage, but he is commending virginity. And as St. Jerome
says: [While we allow marriage, we prefer virginity originating from it... Is it an insult
to the tree, if its apples are preferred to its root or leaves?!6]
16
CHAPTER 2
ADAM IN PARADISE
After that quick presentation of the creation of the whole world, and the
sanctification of the seventh day in which God rested, the divine inspiration
manifested the condition of the first man in paradise, revealing the extent of Gods
care for his happiness.
1- Sanctification of the Sabbath
2- Adam in paradise
3- Gods commandment to Adam
4- Creation of Eve
1 3.
4 14.
15 17.
18 25.
[We become, ourselves, a seventh day, when we enjoy and get filled with Gods
blessings and sanctification1.]
It is to be noted that the Holy Scripture did not mention the seventh day saying
It was the eve and the morning were the seventh day; and as St. Augustine says:
[We find no evening in the Sabbath, because our rest has no end, while the evening
necessitates an end2.]
2- ADAM IN PARADISE
When God created everything for man: earth, firmament, space, stars, etc., it
was to make him feel the Fatherhood of God and His exceeding nurturing. He
revealed this Fatherhood later on, when talking in more details about the creation of
man, and establishing the Garden of Eden to the east, for his sake.
In the second century, it seems that Origen believed that the story of Adam
and Eve, and all what happened to them, was a purely symbolic story, presented by the
divine inspiration, to reveal spiritual concepts that touch Adams life in relationship to
God; that the Garden was not on earth but in the third heavens, where Adam and Eve,
before their fall, were two spirits with no real bodies; that they descended from
paradise to earth as a result of their sin; and that the bodies they acquired were a kind
of punishment. St. Epiphanius of Salamis at Cyprus, attacked these views in his
correspondence to St. John of Jerusalem3.
These views are totally unacceptable by the Church, as they distort the look at
the world created by God as a sign of His love for us, and they corrupt our belief in the
sanctification of the body. Christ the Lord, as well as His saintly apostles, proclaimed
the early incidents of creation as actual and not as symbolic incidents.
(1) Both Testaments of the Holy Scripture are built on the revelation of the
sacrifice of salvation that humanity needed, after the fall of our parents Adam and Eve
in the Garden of Eden... (See Romans 5); and on the fact that the fall of Adam had
necessitated the redemptive work of Christ, to save man as a whole - spirit and body,
and not to save his spirit alone. For if the human body is the product of sins that the
spirit has committed earlierin separation from the body, there would be no need for
the Divine Incarnation and for the salvation of the body together with the spirit.
(2) When Christ the Lord talked, Himself, about marriage, He referred to it on
the basis of what happened at the onset of creation, as a historical truth, in order to
prohibit divorce (Matthew 19: 3-6; Mark 10:2-9).
(3) Christ referred to the episode of the fall of our parents on the onset of
creation, clarifying the role of the devil and his deceit (John 8:44).
(4) When the apostle Paul talked about the Church as the bride of the Lord
Christ, he mentioned the serpents deceit of Eve as an actual episode (1 Corinthians
11:3).
(5) In the genealogy of Christ the Lord, the Evangelist Luke mentioned Adam
as the first man created (Luke 3:38).
(6) The apostle Paul talked about Abel (son of Adam and Eve), as an actual
person and not as a symbol (Hebrew 11: 4).
While we do not deny the existence of that Garden, as actual history lived by
Adam, yet we also see in that Garden, a symbol of Christ the Lord who came to us
from the East, into Whom Adam enters, to find in Him his fulfillment and the joy of
1
his heart. As the word Eden means joy or paradise, therefore, Christ our Lord is
the True Joy and the Source of our eternal Paradise.
If the Garden symbolizes Christ the Lord as the Source of our joy, on the other
hand, it symbolizes the Church, as the body of Christ that carries, on the inside and in
her midst, the Tree of Life, symbol of Christ the Lord, the Head of the Church and
the Source of her life.
Christ the Lord descended to the world, to proclaim Himself as the Tree of
Life planted in His Church. Whoever enjoys Him would enjoy life and wisdom. And
as St. Jerome said: [Solomon, talking about wisdom, says: She is a tree of life to
those who take hold of her (Proverb 3:18). So, if wisdom is the tree of life, wisdom is
truly Christ the Lord... If that tree is planted in the Garden of Eden, we are all planted
there1.] In other words, we would never be allowed as living trees planted in the
Paradise, if the Tree of Life had not descended in its midst, and proclaimed Himself as
the Source of life, for us.
As to the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, this refers to knowledge that
is, in itself, grace and blessing; yet, if it be deviated to the experience of evil, it will
become a cause for doom. St. Theophilus of Antioch says: [The tree of Knowledge is
good in itself, with good fruits. That tree had not carried death as some assume, but it
is the rebellion that carried death inside it. There is nothing inside that fruit but
Knowledge alone, that is good if used prudently2.]
Watering that garden was a river, about which is said: A river went out of
Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads
(Gen. 2:10). If the Tree of Life refers to Christ the Lord, the Grantor of life, the river
that watered the garden refers to the Holy Spirit that floods our earth, through the
water of the Holy Spirit, to turn our desert into a paradise that pleases the heart of
God. Christ talked about that river, saying: He who believes in Me, as the Scripture
has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). The Evangelist
comments on these divine words, saying: This He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom
those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given (John
7:39). As to its partition into four riverheads, that refers to the Spirit overfilling the
Church in the world, from the east to the west, and from the north to the south.
If the river refers to the Holy Spirit that descends on the believers to sanctify
them, its partition into four riverheads, would refer to its sanctification of the body
that is symbolized by the figure 4, being derived from the earth (of four corners). It is
as though man, in his relationship with God becomes, by the power of the Holy Spirit,
a new Garden of Eden sanctified by the Holy Spirit Who works in the human soul, as
well as in the body.
As far as the location of the garden is concerned, theologians and geographers
have not come to a definite decision. Some assume it has been in Armenia, where the
rivers Euphrates and Tegris originate. The prevailing view is, however, that the River
of Eden that parted into four riverheads was the River Euphrates- Tegris that flows
into Arabian Bank, then into the Persian Gulf, parted into several riverheads. The
Garden of Eden, as they believe, was in the fertile southern region of Iraq; referring to
the fact that the Land of Havilah, where there is gold (Gen. 2:11), is a region of the
Island of Arabia, in the neighborhood of the south west of Iraq. As to the Land of
Cush (Gen. 2:13), it is most probably the Land of Elam, known for a long time as
1
2
On Ps. hom 1.
To Autolycus 2:25.
Concerning the site of the Garden of Eden see: New Westminster Dict. Of the Bible, P. 238, 239.
To Autolycus 2:25.
(4) It is amazing that the punishment fell with all its weight upon the earth and
the serpent, as God did not curse Adam or Eve, but cursed the serpent for deceiving
man, and the earth because of who dwelt in it! God, in His love demonstrated the
bitterness of sin, but He did not curse man... What greater love than this?!
Body, which is us, His Church. So words are uttered as though from one mouth; The
Head and the body being integrally united together, not separated from one another,
the same as in marriage, of which is said: And they become one flesh (Gen. 2:24)1.]
We end our conversation with the words of St. Ambrose who sees in the One
flesh a unity of will through the love between man and woman, saying, [God has put
the feelings of good will in man and woman, proclaiming that they would be one
flesh; and to this it can be added: one spirit2.]
Finally after talking about the creation of Eve and her joining Adam with love,
he said: They were both naked, the man and the wife, and they were not ashamed
(Gen. 2:25). They were bodily naked, yet spiritually covered, thus there was no cause
for shame; as what makes one ashamed is not his body, but the corruption that got into
it because of sin. That is why some Fathers consider that entering naked into the font
of Baptism is a return to Paradise, where man was, in his purity of heart, naked
according to the body, yet not ashamed.
1
2
On Ps. 41.
Duties of clergy 1:32.
CHAPTER 3
FALL OF MAN
God, having provided man with all possibilities of life as the master of earth
with all its resources, He granted him the greatest of gifts - human freedom, as a sign
of Gods appreciation for the most perfect creature on earth. Yet, man soon fell
through his own will, under the deceit of the devil, his enemy, disregarding Gods
love for him:
1- The deceitful serpent
1-6.
2- Opening of their eyes
7.
3- Gods care for man
8-13.
4- Cursing the serpent
14.
5- Promise of salvation
15.
6- Chastening man
16-19.
7- Coats of skin
20-21.
8- God sent man forth out of the Garden of Eden 23-24.
.( : )2
[I do not say this to claim the innocence of the devil, but in order to warn you
against laziness. The devil wants us to put the blame upon him when we do wrong...
By that, we drown ourselves in all kinds of evil, increase our punishment, and deprive
ourselves of forgiveness; through throwing the responsibility upon him, (without
presenting repentance1.)]
Concerning the vain dispute that Eve entered with the serpent, St. John
Chrysostom says: [She should have kept silent, and should not have conversed with
it. She foolishly revealed Gods commandment, so giving the devil a great break...
Consider the extent of evil, when we deliver ourselves in the hands of our enemies,
and those who plot against us! That is why the Lord Christ says: Do not give what is
holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their
feet, and turn and tear you in pieces (Matthew 7:6). That is what happened with Eve;
She gave what is holy to dogs and swine; so they trampled them under their feet,
turned, and tore the woman2.]
I wish that we do not fear the devil, as he is not capable of violently forcing his
way into our hearts; but we should fear ourselves, as we accept his tricks and vanities;
as we allow him to infiltrate into our depths, to take over the leadership of our will,
and the control over our heart, thought, and senses; thus falling under his bitter
servitude.
In that dispute between Eve and the serpent, the devil did not present to man
anything but promises, saying: You will not surely die. For God knows that in the
day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good
and evil (Gen. 3:4-5). A mere promise, that they would be like God (pride!), and get
knowledge; but he did not present them with anything for their own good. And as St.
John Chrysostom says: [The devil did not offer any good deed - few or much - but
deceived the woman with mere words, and provided her with vain hope. Despite that,
she considered the devil more trust worthy than God, although God had proved His
good will through His deeds3.] And as he says: [As the devil was not capable of
presenting anything practical, he presented words of promise; that is how deceivers
are4.]
Indeed, it was possible for Eve to recognize the deceit of the devil, and to
realize his opposition to God and resistance to His words. While God says to Adam:
You shall surely die, the devil says: You will not surely die. And as St. John
Chrysostom says: [How is it fitting for man to recognize an enemy and opponent,
except by such answer that contradicts the words of God?! It was more fitting for Eve
to escape right away from the bait and retreat from the snare5.] In other words, I wish
we receive God as the leader of our life, and reject the devil as a deceiver and a
destroyer of our souls. And as St. Augustine says: [God is our leader and the devil is
our destroyer; a leader presents a commandment while the destroyer would suggest a
trick. Shall we then listen to the commandment or to the deceit6.]
The Fathers of the Church told us about the devils deceit to Adam (and to
.2 ( : )1
.3 ( : )2
.3 ( : )3
4
In 2 Tim, hom 8.
. 5
On Ps. 71.
Eve), and saw in that deceit three main sins, presented by the enemy to destroy the
whole humanity. Then he came back to fight the second Adam (Christ the Master)
with the same sins, assuming that he is capable of ensnaring Him in his nets; and as
said by St. Serapion: [It was necessary for our Lord to get tempted in the same way
Adam did, when he was in the image of God before corrupting it, namely by greed,
conceit, and pride, that were intermingled and multiplied, after he challenged the
commandment, and corrupted the image and likeness of God. Adam had been tempted
by greed, as he ate from the forbidden tree; and by conceit, when he was told: Your
eyes will be opened; and by pride when it was said to him: You will be like God
Knowing good and evil (Gen. 3:5). Our Savior had been likewise tempted by these
three sins: by greed, when the devil said to Him: Command that these stones become
bread (Matthew 4:3), and by pride when he said to Him: If You are the Son of God,
throw Yourself down; and by conceit, when he showed Him all the kingdoms of the
world and their glory and said to Him: All these things I will give You if You will
fall down and worship me (Matthew 4: 9). The Lord gave us Himself as an example
on how we could be victorious as He was victorious, when He was tempted. They
were both called Adam, one was the first in doom and death, while the Other was
the First in resurrection and life. Through the first the whole humanity came under
judgment, while through the Second it was set free1.]
Several Fathers concentrated on the sin of pride, as the top of sins, by which
Satan and his hosts were destroyed, and he is using the same way to destroy humanity.
St. Augustine said about our first two parents who were deceived by the devil through
the sin of pride: [They listened to the voice of the deceiver who told them: You will
be like God; so they deserted God, who wished to make them gods, not through their
isolation from Him, but through their fellowship with Him2.] He also says: [With
pride we fail to reach this eternity... If through pride we were wounded, through
humility we would be cured. God came in humility to cure man from the dangerous
wound of pride3.]
So our Fathers revealed to us the deceit of the enemy, the devil, who conned
Eve through the serpent, so that she, in turn, would draw her man to fall with her;
She took of its fruit and ate. She also gave her husband with her, and he ate (Gen.
3:6). By that, Eve lost her original mission as a helper (Gen. 2:18), and became a snare
for her man and a destroyer of his life.
St. Didymus the Blind, believes that the devil or Satan worked through the
serpent that deceived the woman, who, in turn, drew her husband with her. The
enemy, in his war, starts through lust, as a serpent that sneaks to us, to deceive the
senses (represented by the woman); and those in turn would act on the mind (the
man), which would end up losing its balance and wisdom, and would deviate to evil.
completely corrupted his body; He is uncovering his body that became inclemently
evil without control.
St. Augustine says: [They experienced a new sensation in their bodies that
became rebellious against them, as a firm repayment for their rebellion against God.
The rebellious soul as to the ministry to God, despising that work with its free will,
would lose its former authority over the body1.] And he says: [Their eyes were
opened, not to see, as they used to see before, but to discern between the good that
they lost, and the evil they fell into2.] [They knew that they were naked, of that grace
that kept them from the shame of body nakedness; while the law of sin presented them
with unsteadiness of their minds3.]
St. Ambrose says: [You have knowledge that you are naked, because you lost
the cloth of good faith. These are the leaves by which you want to cover your
nakedness. You rejected the fruits, and sought to hide behind the leaves of the Law,
but you were deceived4.]
Thus, when man sees that he became naked from the fruit of divine grace that
works in the depths of the inner heart, he hides behind the literality of the Law, and
behind apparent formalities, without enjoyment of the inner change. St. Didymus the
Blind believes that man resorts to the fig leaves, sewing them together into coverings
for himself, that can not do the job, by looking for weak excuses for his deeds, saying:
[Sometimes the sinner sews for himself excuses for his sins. Is that not what we see
with many people?! The angry person, for instance, invents excuses to justify his
anger, to try to prove that he is right, quoting sometimes from the Holy Scripture. That
is what is meant by sewed together fig leaves, by rejecting the fruits, and resorting
to incomplete protection as coverings. The angry person, for instance, mentions Elijah
as a role model, when he got angry and destroyed the captain of fifty (2 Kings 1:912)5.]
confess them. With the same spirit, our Lord Jesus commends you to go yourself to
your brother who sinned against you, to tell him his fault between you and him
alone, and not to wait for him to come to you (Matthew 18:15). And as St. John
Chrysostom says, the sinner, would refrain from coming because he feels ashamed.
So it is proper for us to go to him, alone at first, to gain him back to us by love, while
he, himself, gains back his soul.
Thus, the Word of God took the initiation in giving love to Adam, so He called
him, on saying: Where are you? (Gen. 3:9). He was not unaware of his location, but
wanted to enter with him into a dialogue, revealing to him that he is no longer worthy
of being the subject of Gods knowledge, as though he became invisible to the divine
light. St. Augustine says that the wicked, by his wickedness, gets out of the circle of
Gods light, and becomes as the one who is out of Gods knowledge; not in the sense
that God does not know him, but He does not know him in the sense of friendship and
fellowship with Him. That is why the Lord tells the foolish virgins: Assuredly, I say
to you, I do not know you (Matthew 25:12). St. Jerome says: [We heard that God
does not know the sinners. Let us contemplate in how He knows the righteous.]
Now, What was the situation of man in response to that divine initiation?
(1) Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God
among the trees of the garden (Gen. 3:8). This escape is a natural consequence of
rebellion and of the separation from the circle of God, as the darkness can not afford
to look at the light. And as Adam says: I heard your voice in the garden, and I was
afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself (Gen. 3:10).
St. Ambrose talks to us about the cause of the sinners escape from the
presence of the Lord, saying: [The guilty conscience is usually heavily laden, so that it
punishes itself by itself without need for a judge; seeking to get covered, but would be
naked before God1.] It is as though the sin deprives man from his inner peace, and
drives him into a state of terror. St. Didymus the Blind explains why Adam hid
himself, saying that man sought knowledge through the experience of evil; so he hid
from the presence of God, by distancing himself from the pure knowledge of God.
Origen believes that the wicked people disappear from the presence of God; as it was
said: They have turned their back to me, and not their face (Jeremiah 2:27); while
the righteous confidently stand before Him, to be granted the sanctified life (1 John
3:21), with Elisha, As the Lord Lives, before whom I stand (2 kings 5:16).
Thus Adam hid himself after his fall, and could not face God, not because God
is fearful and causes horror, but because man in his evil has lost the inner image of
God, which draws him with love toward his Creator, the Lover of mankind. So, God
became for him a means of terror and his Judge. The fault is in man who lost the
purity of nature, and the enlightenment of his insight. Therefore, St. Didymus the
Blind comments on Adams action of hiding himself as follows: [Adam gives his
nakedness as an excuse for his fear, that nakedness resulting from his loss of virtue
that used to cover him. Virtue, assuredly is a divine garment; as preached by the
apostle: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14); Put on tender mercies
(Colossians 3:12), namely, adorn yourselves with practicing mercy according to
Christ; or Let us put on the armor of light (Romans 13:12), to be able to fight the
(spiritual) enemies2.]
(2) When God encountered man through His making the first step towards him
1
2
in love, despite his fear and hiding, man did not deny his sin, yet justified it by
throwing the blame on others. Adam said: The woman whom you gave to be with me,
she gave me of the tree, and I ate (Gen. 3:12), and the woman said: The serpent
deceived me, and I ate (Gen. 3:3). And so Adam threw the blame upon Eve, and even
upon God who gave her to him; and the woman threw it upon the serpent. None of
them apologized for what he or she has done. St. Didymus the Blind comments on
Adams answer by saying: [It was fitting for him, first to think that he got her from the
Lord for his own good, and that he did not get her to give him lessons, but to follow
his example1.] And he comments on the answer of Eve, saying, [Now, she admits that
she had been deceived... This is how those deceived behave, they do not realize evil
except after it is done. Lust conceals truth from them, and deprives them of
knowledge2.]
5- PROMISE OF SALVATION
Having cursed the serpent that deceived man, to make us reject it and its
features in us, God presented to us the first promise of salvation, addressing the
serpent, saying: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your
seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel (Gen.
3:15)
The serpent became a representative of the devil himself, who was called,
serpent of the old (Revelation 20:2). God put enmity between the devil and the
woman, until the Lord Christ comes from the seed of the woman - without human
1
In Gen. 93.
In Gen. 95.
3
On Ps. 62.
4
On Ps. 7.
5
On Ps. 104.
2
intervention - to bruise the head of the serpent that bruised the heel of humanity.
Christ - the seed of woman - bruised the head of the serpent with His cross, according
to the words of the apostle: Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a
public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in (the cross) (Colossians 2:15); But
the serpent will bruise every man who falls down from the exalted life in the Lord, to
become a (heel) attached to dust.
St. Augustine believes that the head of the serpent is pride, that lower mans
life to turn it into a heel, to be bruised by the serpent, as he says: [The serpent has his
eyes on you, as you fall down with pride; you should watch his head, namely the
pride, being the head of all sins1.] He also believes that the serpents head is the start
of sin in us, through the wicked thought, therefore we should (bruise) it in its
beginning, before it gets us down to the heel and kills us. He says: [What is this head?
It is the beginning of every evil suggestion. When the enemy suggests to you an evil
thought, cast it away before the lust gets hold of you leading you to accept it. Avoid its
head, so that it would not bruise your heel2.]
6- CHASTENING MAN
Having offered the promise of salvation, He proclaimed His chastisement of
man. He opened the door of hope, through declaring salvation, before bringing forth
the bitter chastisement, so that man would not fall under the weight of despair. He
declared His chastisement, first for the woman, then for the man.
(1)I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception. In pain you shall
bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over
you(Gen. 3:16). This chastisement, under which Eve fell because of the sin, was
transformed, by mercy, into a blessing, when the Church - the new Eve - accepted to
bring forth spiritual children for God, through her pains. St. Augustine says: [The
Church the bride of Christ - conceives and labors with children, so that she, like
Eve, is called the mother of all living (Gen. 3:20). A member of this Church that
labor says: My children for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in
you... (Galatians 4:9). But the Church does not labor in vain, and does not deliver in
vain, for she will get the holy seeds on the resurrection from the dead, she will get the
righteous who are now suffering pain all over the world3.]
Whatever pain, the Church - the new Eve - suffers in conceiving her spiritual
children, and bringing them forth in the Lord, is also suffered by every soul, as a
Church, as she conceives with the fruits of the Spirit, to bring forth children who
please God. And as St. Didymus the Blind said, [The Church brings forth children,
while in the world, through pain, as virtue necessitates sorrow, that produces
repentance to salvation, not to be regretted (2 Corinthians 7:10)... Narrow is the
gate, and difficult is the way which leads to life (Matthew 7:14); but Wide is the
gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by
it (Matthew 7:13). As to tears, they are praised4.]
And as bringing forth children in pain, has been transformed into a blessing,
through the new Eve, accepting pain to bring children forth in the Lord, so the other
chastisement: Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you has
been, likewise, transformed into a spiritual blessing, when the incarnated Word of
1
On Ps. 37.
On Ps. 49.
3
On Ps. 127.
4
In Gen. 102.
2
God came to the new Eve as her man, ruling and prevailing over her by the exerted
love, and she desires Him, to enjoy Him and His characteristics, as the Source of her
life, and to enter with Him into His eternal glories.
(2) Cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you shall eat of it all the days
of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the
herb of the field, In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the
ground, for out of it you were taken; For dust you are, and to dust you shall return
(Gen. 3:17-19).
For the sake of man, God created earth, and because of him He blessed it; then,
having rebelled against the Lord, it came under curse to bring forth thorns and thistles,
comparable to his rebellion or his inner thoughts. What literally happened to the earth
was realized in the symbolic earth, namely the body. Because our rebellion against
God, caused the body to lose its balance and sanctity, and came to bring forth for us
thorns and thistles, that corrupt and destroy the soul, so our earth stayed with no
spiritual fruits, until it was the time and Virgin St. Mary came, to be sanctified by the
Holy Spirit, through receiving the divine promise, to produce for us the Firstborn Who
pleases the heart of the Father, and brings joy to our life. And as St. Jerome says:
[What earth lost in the Garden of Eden, it gained in the Son1.]
Thus, through the incarnation of the Word of God, our earth could produce
fruits instead of thorns and thistles, especially since the Lord has carried these thorns
on His forehead in place of our earth (body), in order to give back joy to us.
Earth carried the curse because of our sins, making life of man - after his fall difficult and miserable, as it is said, In the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread.
Finally, as man lusts for earth or dust instead of for heaven, he is told: For
you are dust, and to dust you shall return; and through that he became food for the
serpent, to which it was said: You shall eat dust all the days of your life. For that,
the heavenly Word of God came to rid us of our earthly nature, granting us the
heavenly features; and St. Jerome said: [As it is said to the sinner, You are dust, and
to dust you shall return, likewise, to the saint it will be said, You are heaven, and to
heaven you shall return2.]
7- COATS OF SKIN
And Adam called his wifes name Eve, because she was the mother of all
living (Gen. 3:20).
If Adam and Eve fell under chastisement, yet, they are our first parents. In
Adam we find a father of all humanity, and in Eve a mother of all living. But through
this parenthood, sin infiltrated us, and we fell with them under the same chastisement,
until the Second Adam came to grant the true life to believers, and His wife - the new
Eve - the true mother to all living. St. Didymus the Blind, says: [The Church is the
mother of believers, and Christ is their Father, in whom all fatherhood springs, what is
in heaven and on earth3.] St. Jerome says: [As there is only one Eve, the mother of all
living, there is likewise, only one Church, the mother of all Christians4.]
And now, as our first parents fell under divine chastisement, God proclaimed
His love for them, before driving them out of the garden, He made coats of skin, and
clothed them (Gen. 3:21), in place of the fig leaves they sewed together to make
1
On Ps. hom 6.
On Ps. hom 46.
3
In Gen. 106.
4
Ep 123:12.
2
10
themselves coverings. These coats, probably, proclaimed Gods revelation to the first
man about the importance of sacrifice as a symbol of that of salvation... It is as though
God has given Adam and Eve the rite of the bloody sacrifice. As to the coat of skin,
that do not get dry, it symbolizes the slain Lord Christ, Whom we put on as a cover for
our sins, and a remover of the disgrace of our old nature.
St. Ambrose sees in the coats of skin a symbol for the labor of the works of
repentance, saying: [God clothed them with coats of skin, and not of silk1.]
3
4
To Aytolycus 2:26.
On Belief of Resur. 2:38.
. 5
11
unreasonable creatures; something completely foreign from the faith of the (Catholic)
Church.
Moreover, the wise Solomon says: God made man upright (Ecclesiastes
7:29); namely, he, alone, always enjoyed the knowledge of good. But once acquired,
the knowledge of good and evil, they have sought out many schemes (Ecclesiastes
7:29). Adam, after his fall, acquired the knowledge of evil that he had never known
before, but he did not lose his knowledge of the good that he used to know1.]
Finally, as man was driven out of Paradise, God placed a Cherub to guard the
way to the tree of life, until the time came when He, Himself, who is sitting on the
Cherubim, came to carry us in His pierced side, to take us along with Him, into His
heavenly Paradise.
12
CHAPTER 4
1-7.
8-16.
17-24.
25-26.
on the other hand symbolizes the school of faith that depends upon Gods grace, to
enjoy Gods mysteries through faith granted to man, without disregarding his mind.
Faith does not contradict the mind, but rather lifts it up, and exalts it, through Gods
proclamations to man; these two schools, despite their apparent contradiction, are
closely connected, as though two brothers are begotten of one same womb, although
not able to live together for a long time.
The episode of Abel and Cain also presents to us a living portrait of the story
of the Spirit and the body as first fruits. Although Cain was the first-born to Adam
and Eve according to the flesh, yet he lost his status as a result of his evil. That of
Abel has been spiritually demonstrated by Gods respect of his offering but rather his
whole life was well-pleasing to God contrary to his brothers. Thus, St. Augustine
sees in Cain a symbol of the first Adam, the first-born of humanity according to the
flesh, who lost his status to the true Abel - the Lord Christ - the second Adam, as truly
a First-born to humanity, in Whom the Father receives us as a sweet aroma. From the
words of St. Augustine, the following: [From those first parents of mankind, Cain has
been a firstborn, referred to the city of men; then Abel was born, referred to the
city of God. And as it is with individuals, it is also on the level of the human race as
a whole; it is said in an apostolic expression discerning the truth: However the
spiritual is not first but the natural, and afterwards the spiritual (1 Corinthians
15:46). So it happens that every man, detached from his condemned origin, is first
born from Adam, the wicked carnal, and afterward becomes good and spiritual, as he
is renewed in Christ (by Baptism). So it is for the human race as a whole, as we find
people of this world born first (meaning the old man within us), then followed by
those foreign to it (the new man we became in Christ), namely those referred to the
(city of God), who by grace are designated, by grace are chosen, by grace lived as
foreigners here, and by grace lived as citizens high up there... God, as a Potter, from
the same lump of clay, makes one vessel for honor and another for dishonor (Romans
9:21); but He made first the one for dishonor then the one for honor1.] This
corresponds to the verse in St. Pauls epistle (1 Cor. 15:49) And as we have borne the
image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. That is
next to the first image where we become a new creation deserving to be a vessel of
honor.
It is amazing how this issue of the body and Spirit as firstborns extended along
the generations. So we find that God elected Abraham as a father to all peoples,
although he was not the firstborn among his brothers; and elected Isaac, who was
younger than Ishmael; and Jacob who was younger than Esau; then the Lord Christ
from the seed of Perez, born by Tamar - Perez breached his brother Zerah, while still
in his mothers womb to take away his right as firstborn (Gen 38:27-30). The
genealogy of the Lord Christ came presenting a great group of fathers, who were not
firstborn according to the flesh. We have previously dealt with the concept of the
firstborn and its relation to the Lord Christ, the Firstborn, in our study of the Book of
Numbers2.
St. Ambrose believes that Cain symbolizes the Jews who were the firstborn
according to the knowledge of God, but denied faith in the Savior, and had their
synagogue spoiled by the blood of the innocent. Then came Abel as a representative of
the Church of the New Testament that embraces members of the Gentiles, to take over
1
her identity as a firstborn, and to be counted as the Church of the Firstborn (Hebrew
12:23), through her union with the Lord, the Firstborn. St. Ambrose says: [In Cain we
see the Jewish people, spoiled by the blood of their Lord, their Creator, and also their
Friend; and in Abel we apprehend the Christian man, attached to God, according to
the words of David: But it is good for me to draw near to God (Psalm 73:28),
namely, his soul would become connected to the heavenly, and would avoid the
earthly; who also says: My soul faints for Your salvation (Psalm 119:81), which
shows that the law of his life was directed to contemplating in the Word (Christ), and
not in the lusts of the world1.]
When the Holy Scripture spoke of carnal birth, it started with Cain, the
firstborn according to the flesh, then Abel. Yet, as each of them got settled in his
preferred work, Abel came to take over the forward position, as though breaching his
brothers firstborn position; as it was said: Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was
a tiller of the ground (Gen. 4:2). And as St. Ambrose said, the Holy Scripture did
not mention Abel first for no reason, despite his birth after Cain, but: [He mentioned
the younger first, as he referred to work, efficiency and natural gift, to realize the
differences between their professions. According to our experience, tending and tilling
the ground come first, yet of a less position than keeping the sheep2.] Tilling the
ground probably refers to the carnal man, who concentrates his eyes and all his
energies on the earthly and the worldly; while keeping the sheep refers to someone
who is interested in caring, ordaining, and controlling the flesh with all its energies
(the sheep). That is why it is fitting for us, not to be tillers of the ground, caring for the
flesh and its lusts, but its spiritual caretakers for the sake of the kingdom of God.
St. Didymus the Blind discerns between the professions of Abel and Cain,
seeing Abel as a keeper of the sheep, one who controls his body; while Cain was a
tiller of the ground, and not a farmer as was Noah (Gen. 9:20), discerning between
a laborer and farmer: a farmer is one who supervises the agricultural work, knows
when to till, when to sow the seeds, and when to reap the harvest with wisdom and
prudence. The laborer, on the other hand is a worker in the land who does not make
use of these qualifications as if they are absent. St. Didymus says: [The Scripture did
not say that Cain was a farmer, but a tiller of the ground, not as Noah who was a
farmer (Gen. 9:20)... Abel was a keeper of sheep, namely, a controller of senses, who
submits his knowledge and controls his emotions and lusts, and one of prudence as a
leader; while Cain was connected to the earth and earthly, not as a farmer but as a
tiller of the ground, as a friend of the flesh, who works with no prudence or
ordinance... according to the saying: Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die
(Isaiah 22:13; 1 Corinthians 15:32). As to the one who does these things according to
a divine ordinance, he is following the principle saying: Whether you eat or drink, or
whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31)3.]
And in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of
the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and
their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but did not respect Cain and
his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell (Gen. 4:3-5)
Why did not God respect Cain and his offering?
(1) St. Didymus the Blind, and St. Ambrose, both believe that the
1
expression: And in the process of time refers to the fact that he probably lacked
enthusiasm in his offering, and did it with a motive other than love. As the first one
says: [Cain presented his offering with negligence, while Abel offered it with
honesty1.] The other said: [Cains offering came in the process of time... and not
promptly and with longing; hence the commandment: When you make a vow to the
Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it (Deuteronomy 23:21); and: When you
make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it... It is better not to vow, than to vow and
not pay (Ecclesiastes 5:4 -5)2.]
(2) God probably rejected Cains offering because it was of the fruit of the
ground, and not of its first-fruit; he did not offer the best he has. While Abel
presented of the firstlings of his flock and their fat... He gave God the priority!
(3) Cains offering was of the fruit of the ground, incapable of reconciliation
between God and man; While that of Abel was a blood sacrifice, that carries a symbol
of the that of the Lord Christ, who is alone capable of reconciling us with the Father,
through shedding His blood for our sake.
(4) St. Jerome believes that Cain offered the fruit of the ground, and did not
offer his heart; namely, he presented an outer offering and not something from within.
As to how Cain knew that God respected Abels offering and not his, this can
be, as St. Didymus the Blind, says, because a fire probably came down and
consumed the offering, as it happened with Aaron and his children, when Fire came
out from before Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When
all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces (Leviticus 9:24); and as it
happened with the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 18:38-40)3.
The first consequence of the rejection of that offering was: Cain was very
angry, and his countenance fell (Gen. 4:5)
Sin corrupts and destroys mans peace, to live in anger and misery; and lets his
countenance fall to the dust, instead of rising to heaven. And as the wise Solomon
says: A mans wisdom makes his face shine (Ecclesiastes 8:1); and A merry heart
makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken
(Proverbs 15:13). By sin mans countenance falls with grief, and by Christ Jesus, it
rises merrily, to say: We all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of
the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Now, as Cains countenance fell, God did not forsake him, but approached him
asking: Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well,
will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door, and its desire
is for you, but you should rule over it (Gen. Gen. 4:7).
Indeed He did not accept his offering because it did not come from a pure
heart, yet he does not forsake him in his fallen condition, but approaches him with
love and converses with him frankly and clearly: If you do well, will you not be
accepted?!, as though he admonishes him, saying: If you do well, wouldnt I accept
you anew?! Why do you surrender yourself to anger, and why should you let your
countenance fall?! And warns him, saying: And if you do not do well, sin lies at the
door, and its desire is for you, but you should rule over it. As though He is telling
him: I behold the sin of murder lying at the door, desiring to infiltrate your depths,
although you can rule over it, namely you are the one with authority and will. It is up
1
In Gen. 121.
Cain and Abel, 1:7.
3
In Gen. 121.
2
to you to accept or to reject it. You are still a master of it, but if you accept it, you will
fall down under its servitude. As long as it lies at the door, it is weak, but if it gets
inside, you would be weaker before it, and would bow before it with the spirit of
servitude.
2- MURDERING ABEL
Now Cain talked with Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they where
in the field, that Cain rose against Abel his brother and killed him... Then the Lord
said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother?, and he said, I do not know. Am I my
brothers keeper? And He said, what have you done / The voice of your brothers
blood cries out to Me from the ground (Gen. 4:8-10).
Cain assumed that by killing his brother, he had nothing more to worry about,
but God came to inquire, to persuade him to repent. He does not want us to cover up
our sins by an outer cover, while corruption is still digging in the depths, but as a
spiritual Physician, He intends to reveal and expose the wounds to heal them. From
another side, God wanted to confirm to Cain that He is the God of Abel, who does not
forget him even if he got killed. And as St. Didymus the Blind says on the Lords
tongue: [Do not think that your crime escaped My eye that never wink1.] And as St.
John Chrysostom says: [He got rid of him because he saw how he was beloved,
assuming that by killing him he deprives him of love; yet what he did made him more
beloved by God, who sought him, asking Cain: Where is Abel your brother?2]
Cain hid his brothers body, but he could not suppress the voice of the soul
crying to God, expressed by God, saying: The voice of your brothers blood cries out
to Me from the ground. The blood refers to the soul, being a sign of life. If blood is
shed, the soul stays crying, through the blood unfairly shed on the ground. That crying
voice is that of every man afflicted for the sake of Truth, to be counted as a witness or
a martyr for the Truth. His cries would remain screaming beyond the earth (the place)
and the death (the time). About that voice, St. Ambrose says: [Blood has a loud voice,
that reaches from earth to heaven3.] Affliction does not suppress the tongue of the
soul, but on the contrary, makes it more unified with the living and crucified Word of
God, acquiring the voice, that is never to be overcome by death, or shut in by the
grave. It is as though, the source of the blood unfairly shed, is the unification of man
with the Living Crucified One. St. Clement of Alexandria saw in the blood of Abel,
the righteous, a symbol of that of Christ, whose atoning voice or work would never
cease, saying: [It was not possible for the blood to utter a voice, unless we see it
referred to the incarnated Word; Abel, the righteous man of the old, was a symbol of
the new Righteous One (Christ, the Word of God); and what the old blood intercedes
for, is to be realized through the new blood, that cries to the Father that the Word is
suffering4.]
If Cain had destroyed his brothers body, and silenced his tongue completely,
yet it was impossible for him to silence the tongue of his heart, and his inner screams,
listened to by God, who hears the hidden sighs. And as said by St. John Chrysostom:
[Moses was in grief, and prayed with his heart, to which God responded by saying:
Why do you cry to Me? (Exodus 14:15); although he did not cry with his mouth; So
also did Hannah, whose voice, although not heard, yet she got all she prayed for, as
1
In Gen. 129.
In Rom. hom 8.
3
Ep. 22:23.
4
Instr. 1:6.
2
her heart was crying loud (1 Samuel 1:13). Abel, even when dead, his blood cried with
a voice louder than a trumpet1.]
Cain disregarded his brothers life; thus disregarding God Himself in his talk
to Him. Every sin directed to our brothers, makes us err against God Himself; and as
said by St. John Chrysostom: [I wish we do not despise one another, as that makes us
as though despising God Himself, who commanded us to care for others... When Cain
despised his brother, he instantly disregarded God Himself2.]
If the rebellion of Adam and Eve has carried a tangible punishment, that is still
reminding humanity of the bitterness of disobedience, the first crime presented Abel
with an effective punishment that reveals to him what got into his depths, as he was
told:
When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you (Gen.
4:12). Because of his crime, the land was affected by a kind of barrenness, to reveal
what also affected the (land) of man, namely his body, that, through sin became
barren, and does not yield a fitting spiritual fruit. St. Didymus the Blind, comments
on that divine chastisement, by saying: [It happens sometimes that, because of mans
sins, the land becomes barren and cease to yield fruit, as is said, The land will mourn,
and everyone who dwells there will waste away (Hosea 4:3). The land was granted to
yield fruit, for those who keep their minds uncorrupted... but the fruits get less by the
will of God, until men forsake their corruption3.]
If land refers to the body, that loses its authentic work, to become of no
spiritual fruit, so also the soul, as it loses its inner peace; As he is told: A fugitive and
a vagabond you shall be on the earth (Gen. 4:12). It is as though, the soul that
submitted to the earthly body, will find it barren, to live in it with no peace or comfort,
but in a condition of fear and loss. That is confirmed by the Holy Scripture, saying:
Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod, on
the east of Eden (Gen. 4:16)
Namely, the soul goes out of the bosom of its Lord, the source of its peace, to
dwell in the land of Nod, which means getting lost and confused. And as St.
Didymus the Blind says, [Nod means confusion; and there, dwells who forsakes the
peaceful virtue to get into confusion4.]
St. Jerome says: [Nod is translated as getting lost; thus getting put away
from the presence of God, Cain naturally dwelt in Nod and got lost. So also the Jews,
having crucified their Lord, they wandered here and there, seeking their sustenance;
They got into a Diaspora all over the world away from their own land. They beg for
spiritual fulfillment, as they have no prophets, Law, priests, nor sacrifice; they became
beggars in every sense of the word5.] The cause of losing their way is their going out
of the presence of the Lord (Gen. 4:16); not place-wise, but out of fellowship with
Him and enjoying Him.
St. Didymus the Blind says: [We should not take it as though Cain has gone
away from God place-wise, but we say that every sinner is out of the Lord in the same
sense, carried by the expression: Come before His presence with singing (Psalm
100:2). When we come before His presence, we cast away every outer thing, namely
sins, in order to enjoy other things that are out of this world, to partake of the
1
knowledge of God. God is not confined to a certain place, despite setting a temple for
Him. Cain went out, because he counted himself as unworthy of beholding the face of
the Lord; as he has, not any more the thought of the Lord1.]
St. Basil the Great believes that the harshest punishment that man would fall
under, is being deprived of the presence of the Lord2.
Cain realized the seriousness of his situation, so he confessed to the Lord,
saying: My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out
this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a
fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me
will kill me. And the Lord said to him, Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall
be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him
should kill him (Gen. 4:13-15).
It is obvious from Cains confession, that he felt remorse, not out of hate for
sin, but out of fear from earthly punishment. And yet, God opened before him a door
of hope. He did not promise that he would not get killed, but whoever kills him would
be bitterly punished - sevenfold; setting a mark on him, lest anyone finding him
should kill him. Thus, God starts by treating Cain with love, hoping for him to return
and throw himself into His bosom, through true repentance.
St. Basil the Great3 believes that Cain committed seven sins, and deserved
seven chastisements. His seven sins were: [envying his brother Abel; lying to God;
deceiving Abel into going to the field; and what is more horrible is killing his brother,
offering a terrible example to humanity at the dawn of its history; and erring to his
parents by killing their son.] As to the seven chastisements, they are: [Because of him
the earth was cursed, turning into an enemy to him, denying him its fruits; he lives in
grief and in terror. Subsequently he is driven out to live lost on earth; and to be
alienated from the face of the Lord.]
As to the mark set by God for Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him, it
probably is that of the sign of the cross, in which a sinner is hidden, to find security
and peace, through his reconciliation with God. This is the mark by which the children
of God, who are not defiled, are marked, to get protected from the angel of
destruction, as was seen by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 9:6).
St. Augustine believes it to be the mark of the covenant, that was given to
people of the Old Testament, as a shadow of the cross, as proclaimed in their Law and
rites; saying: [This mark is for the Jews as they kept their Law, got circumcised; kept
the Sabbath, sacrificed the Passover, and ate unleavened bread4.]
3- CHILDREN OF CAIN
God opened the door of hope before Cain, despite the horrible evil he
committed against God and men. Yet, instead of returning to Him with repentance to
restore his peace, Cain built a city he called after the name of his son - Enoch (Gen.
4:17), so that his children would not live like him as fugitives. In that he was
following the example of his parents, who sewed beforehand fig leaves for themselves
to cover their nakedness (Gen 3:7); leaving the inner corruption with no cure.
That was the first city built by man, to resort to it away from Gods decrees
and chastisements; or in other words to resort away from the loss he brought upon
1
In Gen. 135.
Ep. 260:4.
3
Ep. 260.
4
On Ps. 49.
2
himself; That is why St. Jerome says: [The great city built by Cain and called after the
name of his son Enoch, symbolizes this world, built by the devil through evil,
supported it by crime and filled it by wickedness1.] And St. Augustine says: [It was
recorded that Cain built a city, while his brother, as a transient, built nothing for
himself, because the city of saints is up there; although it begets for itself citizens here
below, to depart in due time to their permanent home; where they gather together, in
the day of resurrection, to be granted the promised kingdom, where they reign with the
King of all ages, Amen2.]
While Cain begot Enoch, and built for him an earthly city to protect him
from loss, instead of spiritual blessings; the Scripture presents us with a succession of
Cains descendants, until it reaches Lamech, a husband of two wives: Adah and
Zillah; from the first wife he begot Jabal and Jubal, and from the second, Tobal and
his sister Naamah. St. Jerome sees in Lamech the first to marry two women, a
reference to the action of heretics, who divide the Church into churches that are
deviated from faith3. Anyhow, if Cain presented the worst example of crime at the
dawn of humanity, by killing his brother, the fruit of this crime is heresy that corrupts
the Church of God, deviates it away from faith, and leads it to atheism.]
Some4 see Lamechs life with these two women, as representing an atheist or
forsaking God. So if Adah in Hebrew means beauty or adornment; and Zillah
means shadow, the first refers to the lust of the eye, while the second refers to the
lust of the body. The first with its beauty or adornment deviates the eye away from
looking up to heavenly, while the other as a shadow, draws the soul toward servitude
to the lusts of the body, which represents just a shadow that would soon vanish;
namely, draws it to temporary worldly things.
In Assyrian language Adah is a derivative from Adhato, meaning darkness,
while Zillah, is a derivative from Zillato, meaning shadows of the night. It is as
though Lamech, in his wickedness, chose to unite with darkness and night shadows,
through his evil life.
Before speaking about what Lamech said to his two wives, we shall explain
the meaning of the names mentioned in this chapter:
a- Irad, son of Enoch; The name Irad is a derivative from the Hebrew word
Ir, meaning a city, probably because Cain built the first city in the world, that he
called after the name of his son - Enoch. Some believe that the word Ir in Hebrew
means a colt or cautious.
b- Mehujael, son of Irad, a name that means stricken by the Lord.
c- Methushael, son of Mehujael, a name that means Hero of God or Man of
God.
d- Lamech means strong.
Lamech addressed his two wives with the first poetry in Hebrew literature,
called the the song of the sword by Lamech, in which he said: O wives of Lamech,
listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, even a young man for
hurting me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold (Gen.
4:23-24). In this song you feel the spirit of pride and self-esteem, through self-defense,
and confidence in mans strength and violence. Some see Lamech proclaiming to his
1
Ep. 46:7.
City of God 15:1.
3
Ep. 123:2.
4
Edersheim: The Bible History, V. 1. p. 30.
2
10
two wives that he is using the sword that was invented by his son Tubal, who was
described as an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron (Gen 4: 22); and as he
uses it to defend himself, he would be considered innocent if he happens to kill
someone in the process; so if Cain, as a killer of his brother is avenged sevenfold,
Lamech, as a defender of himself would be avenged seventy-sevenfold.
As interpretation of that song, some believe that Lamech, almost blind with old
age, and guided by his grandson during a hunting mission, killed his grandfather Cain
unintentionally; and when the grandson screamed proclaiming the death of Cain,
Lamech also killed the boy; that is why he said: I have killed a man (Cain) for
wounding me, even a young man for hurting me. He realized that, as a killer, he
would surely be killed; yet because he did that unintentionally, God will avenge him
seventy-sevenfold.
Some believe that the figure 77 reminds us with the genealogy of the Lord
Christ, as it came in the gospel of Luke (3:23-38); sin and justice would be avenged
through the coming of the Savior, who will pay the whole price on the cross.
4- BIRTH OF SETH
As Eve got Cain from the Lord, she thought of him as a blessing to all
generations; but soon he had his life corrupted and killed his righteous brother. God
did not leave Eve broken-hearted, but granted her a new beginning through begetting
Seth in place of Abel. Seth in Hebrew means a substitute or a helper; as though
God brought him as a substitute for Abel, and set him as head of a sanctified
generation. Actually Seth begot a son, by the name of Enosh, meaning human;
Then men began to call on the name of the Lord (Gen 4:26).
11
CHAPTER 5
DEATH
Through sin, spiritual as well as physical death entered into the life of man.
Whatever the life of man would be, on earth, he will not escape from death... Just as
through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread
to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12). But amid this dark portrait, there was
Enoch, who was taken by God because he was righteous.
1- Descendants of Adam (and their death) 1-20.
2- The righteous Enoch
21-24.
3- Methuselah
25-27.
4- Noah
28-32.
AGE AT BIRTH
OF HIS SON
AGE AT YEAR
OF DEATH
BIRTH AS TO
WORLD
HISTORY
HIS DEATH AS
TO WORLD
HISTORY
Adam
Seth
130
105
930
912
1
130
930
1042
Enos
90
905
235
1140
Cainan
70
910
325
1235
Mahalalee
65
895
395
1290
Jared
162
962
460
1422
Enoch
65
365
622
987
Methuselah
187
969
687
1656
Lamech
182
777
784
1651
Noah
500
950
1056
2006
created him. This genealogy probably aims to present us with the Person of the Savior,
by Whom believers would enjoy that gift, namely this of carrying Gods image in
them.
c- As He mentions the birth of Seth, he says: And Adam begot a son in his
own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth (Gen. 5:3), in other words, a
human being. By being in his fathers likeness and image, he probably means that he
carries the same hope that was of his father Adam, for enjoying the promised
salvation, and not as Cain, who lived without hope, lost on earth.
d- It is to be noted that Enoch came as a descendant of Seth, who walked with
God, and he was not, for God took him (Gen. 5:24). He is not the one with the same
name - Enoch, of Cains descendants, after whose name the first city on earth was
built. It is as though God set a seed that carries the heavenly features, in place of that
seed that was attached to the earthly. In the same sense, we find here, Lamech, the
seventh in Seths genealogy, begetting Noah, a sign of spiritual comfort in the Lord, in
place of Lamech, of Cain descendants, who got married to two women: darkness
and shadow of night, who was known for his violence. In other words, even if the
devil is doing his best to corrupt humanity for the sake of his kingdom, yet God sets
for Himself witnesses in every generation, beloved to Him, to enjoy the fellowship of
His glories.
e- Concerning the ages of these fathers, many scholars presented various
interpretations: Some said that numbers in Hebrew were obscure and difficult to
translate; while others said that the ages mentioned are not to concern the fathers, but
concern their tribes. Anyhow, the Holy Scripture is not a historical one, and does not
claim, by its divine words, to register mans history according to our literal concept;
although we can not deny its accuracy, and the possibility of long life at the beginning
of creation.
f- Probably, this genealogy aims to confirm that man, in spite of the length his
life is, eventually dies, leaving to his children the promise of salvation, to look
forward to the new life that is undefeatable by death.
14- 15). Enochs passing to God, is a practical prophecy about the eternal life, and a
testimonial against the ungodly and their coming judgment; That is beside his uttered
prophecy that was delivered to the Jewish Church through oral tradition, and
registered by the apostle Jude.
Enoch represents the heart that unifies with God and becomes the subject of
his pleasure in Christ Jesus, the beloved Son; in whom the spiritual death will not find
a place, but would be in a continuous setting forth to eternity; whom the enemy will
never be capable of grasping or taking over.
We know of Enochs life nothing more than this phrase, Enoch walked with
God, and he was not, for God took him (Gen. 5:24); the Scripture did not tell us
anything about his behavior nor dealings; yet through his hidden life, he drew, along
the generations, the lives of many, to repentance and life with God. Ben Sirach says:
Enoch had been transferred as an example of repentance for all generations (44: 16).
And St. Ambrose saw in him a portrait of apostolic life, that could not be overcome
by death, saying: [Indeed the apostles did not know death as they were told by the
Lord: Assuredly I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death
till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom (See Matthew 16: 28). Whoever
has nothing that needs to die within him, (mainly sin and lusts) would live (eternally);
he, who, in him, has nothing from Egypt (metaphorically), but, has cast all that off
(carnal desires) before forsaking the ministry of body. It is not Enoch alone who was
taken away while still living, the apostle Paul was also lifted up to encounter the Lord
Christ (while also still alive)1.]
With the same sense, St. Cyprian believes that Enoch is a living example of
those who are taken early to the Lord, as they have abandoned their love for the
worldly: [You, like Enoch, would have pleased the Lord, being found worthy of
letting the world behind. The Spirit has taught Solomon that those who please God are
early taken and quickly liberated, lest, by staying longer, they would get defiled by the
filth of the world. And as said, He took him away, lest evil would change his mind;
He was pleasing the Lord, so He loved him and took him from among the wicked (see
Wisd. 4: 11). And in the Psalms, the soul, dedicated to her God, hastens to Him
saying: How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even
faints for the courts of the Lord! (Psalm 84: 1)2.]
St. John Chrysostom believes that Enoch surpassed Abel in his faith, saying:
[That man surpassed Abel in his faith. You will probably ask: How? Because despite
his coming after him, yet what happened to Abel did not affect him in a bad way; He
did not say to himself: what is the use of labor?!3] Enoch was great in his faith
although he had no role model to follow, and despite what he heard about all that
happened to Abel, he walked righteously with the Lord, to become worthy of being
taken by Him.
3- METHUSELAH
Methuselah is a name meaning man with weapon, a son of Enoch, who died
in the year of the great flood, after 969 of age. Although the longest in the Holy
Scripture, yet it ended with death. And as St. Jerome said: [Even if we live for 900
years or more, as people of the pre-flood era; even if we are granted the age of
Methuselah, yet, when that long lapse of time comes to an end, it will be counted as
1
nothing. Whether man lives ten years or 1000 years, when life is over, and the
inevitable death is realized, the past - short or long - is counted the same; although he,
who lived longer, would be burdened with a heavier load of sins to carry with him1.]
However as long as this long live be in the Lord, one will be more and more
blessed every day. He will a blessing to everyone he meets through out his live as God
once promised Abraham.
4- NOAH
Along the genealogy of the fathers, the divine inspiration declared the birth of
Noah, as a sign of comfort that would be enjoyed by the world through its renewal
by the water of the great flood,. the Scripture will present this in some detail in the
following chapters. The sons of Noah Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Gen. 5:32) came as
heads of all peoples of the world, following the great flood.
Ep. 60:14.
CHAPTER 6
c- The Greek antiquities: It came that the god Jupiter instructed Diocalion,
the righteous, to enter into an ark, together with his wife and the rest of his family.
And as the ark landed on the mountain of Partasus, a dove told him that the rain had
come to an end. So he came out to offer thanksgiving sacrifices.
d- Monuments of Phrygia in Asia Minor: It was said that Apachus, which
is a word thought to be derived from Noah, when he heard of the great flood, he
cried for peoples sake. In Apamia in Phrygia, some coins were discovered, on
which the image of an ark with people inside, were engraved; with birds outside the
ark, one of which carries a branch from an olive tree. On the side of the ark there was
a picture of the same people offering thanksgiving sacrifices for their safety. The name
Noah was engraved on these coins. The old name of that city was Kepotosh,
meaning ark, for its people believed that the ark landed at their city.
e- In Persia, China, Phoenicia, Syria, Armenia and the tribes of Mexican
Indians: other similar stories were found among the remains of the peoples.
These old traditions, although mixed with legends, yet they reveal the
existence of a real actual episode, delivered to humanity, but distorted through pagan
worships.
In Rom. hom 8.
In 1 Tim. hom 13.
answer of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
(1 Peter 3:20- 21).
Since we have already presented the liturgical and patristic thought in this
concern1, I shall only mention few more words:
God created man from dust, renewed him by water, let him grow by His Spirit,
and trained him by the word of adoption and salvation, guiding him by the holy
commandments, in order to turn man, born of dust, into a heavenly sanctified
being, on His coming2.
St. Clement of Alexandria
In the great flood - in the days of Noah - all people died, except for Noah and his
family... So, the outer man perishes, but the inner one is renewed. This does not
only happen in the water of Baptism, but also by repentance, when the lusts of the
flesh perish, and the spirit grows. As we are taught by the apostolic authority,
saying: For indeed as absent in body, but present in spirit, have already judged,
as though I were present deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the
flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 5:35)3.
St. Ambrose
(2) Material of the ark: Make yourself an ark of gopherwood (Gen. 6:14).
According to the Septuagint version of square boards. St. Augustine believes that it
refers to the Church4, or to the steadfast and well-established life of saints as the
square boards, whatever their movement is, remain standing upright5.
St. Ambrose says: [You see water, wood, and a dove! Do not get confused! In
the water, the body is emerged to get all its sins cleansed, and all its evil buried. On
the wood, the Lord has been nailed as He suffered for our sake. And in the appearance
of a dove, the Holy Spirit descended, as we read in the New Testament. He who grants
peace to your soul and mind and the raven is a symbol of sin that goes not to return, as
righteousness is kept in you in the side and outside6.]
Origen7 sees in the wooden square boards with right angles a reference to the
prophets and apostles, through whom the library of divine knowledge is set in the
soul. Seeing in the ark a symbol of entrance into the secrets of the knowledge of God
through His Divine Word.
(3) Dimensions of the ark: If the ark refers to enjoyment of free salvation of
the Lord Christ, and to entrance into knowledge of exalted secrets of God through the
cross; to be called by Origen the library of divine words or the library of divine
knowledge, that is why its dimensions, from length, to width, to height, would refer
to faith, love, and hope, as he says: [Whoever is capable of listening to the words of
God, and to the divine commandments, despite the burden of evil and the enormity of
transgressions, disregarding the corruptible things, would be able to build in his heart
an ark of deliverance, and to dedicate in his soul a library of divine words; and so
would be granted faith, love, and hope, as length, width and height. Faith in the Holy
.- : 1
2
Paedagogus 1:7.
Duties of the Clergy 3:18 (108).
4
On Ps. 87.
5
City of God 15:26.
6
On Mystr. 3:11.
7
In Gen. hom 2:6.
3
Trinity is the length that extends to eternity; the width is love displayed in delicate
emotions; and height is hope that would carry him to where heavenly Truth is, as
while we are on earth, our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20)1.] In more
detail he says that length is 300 cubits, as the figure 100 refers to the reasonable flock
of Christ (Luke 15:4-5), of which the Lord Christ is keen not to lose a single sheep;
that flock is sanctified through its knowledge of the Holy Trinity (100 x 3), or faith in
Him. As for the width of the ark, it was 50 cubits, and as we saw in our study of the
Book of Exodus, and that of Numbers, that the figure 50 refers to forgiveness of sins2,
as what used to occur in the year of the Jubilee (50 years), when a general amnesty is
proclaimed, together with a liberation of slaves and land. And as also happened on the
day of the Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended over the disciples in the upper
room, to grant the Church a heavenly nature, free from sin. Width refers to love, that
forgiving love of God, and our love that covers the weaknesses of others. As to the
height of 30 cubits, that refers to the rise of man to God, as Joseph did, when he set
forth, at the age of 30 years, from the prison to the palace, to take over the government
of Egypt. Therefore, let the spiritual ark be built in us, so that we would have the true
experimental knowledge: its length being the living faith in the Holy Trinity; its width,
the true love for God and men, and its height, the hope in heavenly.
St. Augustine3 sees in the dimensions of the ark (300 x 50 x 30), a symbol of
the body of the Lord Christ: A mature man, according to this saint has a length equal
to 6 times his width between his sides (300 x 50), and 10 times his height (his
thickness from the back to the chest) (300 x 30). It is as though the ark refers to the
Incarnated Word of God, who carried us in Him to deliver us from the great flood, to
His new land.
(4) Covering it inside and outside with pitch: As Origen says: [He wants us to
be saints from outside, and with pure heart inside, well protected from every side with
the virtue of fulfillment (the outer pitch), and purity (the inner pitch)4.]
(5) The side door: St. Augustine says: [This, no doubt refers to the wound by
the spear, in the side of the crucified, through which those coming to Him would
enter, and from it secrets by which believers in Him would enter into His fellowship
would pour out5.]
(6) The three decks: St. Augustine6 sees in these three decks a living portrait
of the Church assembled of all peoples and from all nations, consummated from the
descendants of the three sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The three decks may
also refer to the three virtues instructed by the apostle Paul: faith, hope, and love. He
also sees in them the believers who delivered three different quantities of crop:
hundred-, sixty-, and thirty fold (Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:8), or represents the
heavenly city or eternal Church, that embraces in its membership pure married people,
as well as widows, and pure virgins.
Origen7 sees in the three decks a reference to the three ways of interpretation:
the literal, the moral or ethical, and the spiritual interpretations. Whoever stops at the
1
literal interpretation, will be like him who settled down in the lower deck, together
with the animals; while he, who rises to the moral then enjoys the spiritual
interpretation, will be like the righteous Noah and his family in an encounter with
God.
(7) Noah and his family in the ark: Origen says: [Through ascending the
successive decks of the ark, we reach Noah himself whose name means (comfort) or
(righteousness); Noah is Jesus Christ, as, the words of his father Lamech do not apply
on the old Noah, This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our
hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed (Gen. 5:29... Look at our
Lord Jesus Christ, of whom is said: Behold; The Lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world (John 1:29); Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law,
having become a curse for us (for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a
tree (Galatians 3:3). And He also says, Come to Me, all you who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Here you are, seeing Him as
truly granting rest to humanity, and redeeming the earth from the curse1.]
And St. Peter, the apostle, noticed that the souls saved by the ark were eight (1
Peter 3:20-21); This figure refers to the Church hidden in the cross of the Lord Jesus
Christ; or refers to its heavenly nature, and its new features, through its enjoyment of
the resurrected life in Jesus Christ. We know that figure 8 refers to life after time; as
the figure 7 refers to the days of the week, the figure 8 signifies crossing the frontier of
time.
10
CHAPTER 7
371 days from the beginning of the great flood, when God commanded Noah to leave
the ark (Gen. 8:13-16), on the 27th. day of the second month of the 601st. year of
Noahs age (Gen. 8:14), counting the year as 360 days according to lunar months.
In the present context we notice the following:
a- The expression All the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the
windows of heaven were opened (Gen. 7:11), indicates that great flood was not only
caused by the heavy rains, but the whole earth became, as though it turned into
fountains and springs gushing water with no end. Anyhow, if the believer, in his life,
carries a consistent great flood, through continuous life of repentance, God will draw
out of his earth (body), fountains of great deep, to sweep away and destroy every evil,
and will grant his heavens (soul) incessant spiritual rains, to work with the same spirit
together with the body, that is, sanctified in the Lord. Thus, the sanctified body in the
Lord, would work together with the soul, by the Holy Spirit of God, through the
continuous repentance, in order that all features of the old life would come to an end
in him, and he would always enjoy the strength of the new life in the Lord Jesus
Christ.
b- The Holy Scripture says: And the Lord shut him in (Gen. 7:16). The door
remained open 7 days to receive the procession coming to enjoy the fullness of
salvation; but as the days of our life come to an end, the door will be shut out.
However, those inside will be kept safe and doom cannot cross over to them, while
those, still outside, will be denied enjoyment of the glories inside. This is what the
Lord Christ proclaimed in His talk about the kingdom of heaven, simulating it to
virgins entering with the Bridegroom; and as time comes, with the arrival of the
Bridegroom, Those who were ready went in with Him to the wedding and the door
was shut (Matthew 25:10).
It is amazing that God, Himself shuts the door; as it is said, And the Lord
shut him in. He, alone, has the keys of David; He who opens and no one shuts, and
shuts and no one opens (Revelation 3:7). He opened for us the gates of Paradise by
the key of His cross, to enter with and in Him in the fellowship of His glories; and he
shuts us in, eternally with Him, so as the evil enemy would never approach us.
CHAPTER 8
1-5.
6-12.
13-14.
15-19.
20-22.
8:6, 7) setting forth to where the corrupt corpses are, then to return to stand outside
the ark. He also sent out a dove... But the dove found no resting place for the sole of
her foot, she returned into the ark to him... so he put out his hand and took her, and
drew her into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another 7 days, and again he sent
the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a
freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth... So he waited yet another 7 days and sent
out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore (Gen. 8:8-12).
St. Augustine says: [If the ark refers to the Church, both the dove and the
raven were found therein. Noah had sent those two species of birds, he had the raven
and dove two If the ark is truly a type of the Church it is seen, by necessity, through
the great flood of this world, to include both the doves and the ravens. What are the
ravens? Those who seek their own. And what the doves? Those who seek the things
which are of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:21)1.]
The raven refers to the sin which must be cast away; to set forth and so never
returns to the ark, but keeps going to and fro, hesitating between the corrupt corpses
and the ark from outside. Noah would not put out his hand to take it in as he did with
the dove.
St. Ambrose says: [The raven is a symbol of sin that goes never to return. If
righteousness is kept in you inside and outside2.] And St. Jerome says: [The raven
was sent out of the ark, and did not return; Afterward the dove proclaimed peace on
earth. Likewise, in baptism, the devil, the meanest of birds, is driven away, then, the
dove of the Holy Spirit proclaims peace on our earth3.] And he also says: [If the world
falls into sin, nothing would be able to cleanse it, but the water of a great flood. The
dove of the Holy Spirit flew to Noah after the raven went far away, and became as
though it was heading toward Christ in the Jordan (Matthew 3:16); came carrying
with her beak a branch that symbolizes to reform and light, to give the whole world
the good news of peace4.]
If the raven has found food and a resting place for the sole of its feet, among
the corrupt corpses, Yet the dove (the believing soul) would never find rest except in
the hands of Noah... It came out of the ark three times:
a- The first time it found no resting place for the sole of its feet; as a reference
to the soul, inflamed by the Holy Spirit - the heavenly dove - which cannot settle
down or rest among the corrupt corpses; it is attracted in her exile toward the ark, to
find the hand of her Christ put out to carry her in His bosom, as her resting place.
b- In the second time, it went out to the world, to return proclaiming the peace
of Christ through the new world, after the disappearance of corpses and uprooting of
corruption, through the new life in Jesus Christ. St. Augustine5 sees in the olive
branch a symbol of peace from several aspects; the first is that the olive tree is
evergreen, as though it represents man filled with peace, who would never lose his
greenness by storms. From another aspect, if another fluid like water is poured on
olive oil, it would not corrupt, but would float over the other fluid without mixing
with it. It is as though, like man, who when knocked over by temptations, would
overcome them by floating over affliction.
c- In the third time, it went out of the ark, but did not return; not to desert
Noah, but to proclaim the setting forth of the whole procession toward the new earth;
1
as though representing man, set forth toward eternity, as a new life, not to be anymore
in body in the Church seen on earth, but, being a member in it, he sets forth to where
he encounters the whole procession on the clouds, to enter to the glories.
The duration of events of the great flood, from its beginning to Noahs coming out of
the ark (a year, 360 days, according to lunar calendar and 11 days = 371 days}
CHAPTER 9
(3) If Noah did wrong by getting drunk and naked, yet God, in His love did not
cover up the weaknesses of His men, but is turning these weaknesses to the good; as
He did when He turned the evil plan of Josephs brothers against him to his and their
good.
St. Jerome sees in this story of Noah, a symbolic portrait of what was to
happen to the Lord Christ, who drank the cup of passion, got naked for our sake on the
cross, and was ridiculed by the wicked (Ham), while the Gentiles (Shem and Japheth)
believed in Him. And as said by St. Jerome: [All this was said as a symbol of the
Savior who drank the cup of passion on the cross, saying: O My Father, if it is
possible, let this cup pass from Me (Matthew 26:39); He drank, got naked, and was
ridiculed by His elder son (Ham), namely the Jewish people, while His younger one,
namely the Gentiles, covered up His sufferings... And as the Lord got drunk through
His passion, so also the saints get drunk by the fragrance of their faith, get drunk by
the Holy Spirit. Finally, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, and filled
them, they talked in several tongues, to be accused to be full of new wine1.]
It is to be noted that St. Jerome counted Ham as the elder brother to Shem and
Japheth, representatives of the Gentiles. Anyhow, there is much controversy as to the
right order of seniority of Noahs sons: Some talk of them as Shem, Ham, then
Japheth, based on the fact that they were mentioned as such in many locations in the
Holy Scripture. And yet some others believe that, although Shem was not the
firstborn, yet he was put first, because from him, the great fathers: Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob came, and from him came the ancient people, out of whom the Lord Christ
was born according to the flesh. What confirms this, is that, in chapter 10, the sons of
Japheth were presented first, followed by those of Ham, then of Shem.
Jacob. And as St. Augustine1 said, that prophecy was realized by the birth of the Lord
Christ from them according to the flesh. If the name Shem, means high or
exalted, what name would be so, more than the Lord Christ, whose fragrance was all
over the world?!
(3) The prophecy concerning Japheth, whose name means enlargement, or
fulfillment, that May God enlarge (him), and may he dwell in the tents of Shem.
Shems dwellings - the Church of Christ - were enlarged to receive the Gentiles,
namely to receive Japheth in it.
CHAPTER 10
1-5.
6-20.
21-31.
1- DESCENDANTS OF JAPHETH
Japheth, meaning Let it be enlarged or extended2, was born to the 500
years old Noah (Gen. 5:32; 6:10). When his father got drunk and naked, he, together
with his brother Shem, behaved respectfully and wisely. That earned them a seemingly
obscure blessing (Gen. 9:27). That proclaimed a movement of the non-Semitic nations
(descendants of Japheth), to dwell in the tents of Shem, which, as some believe, refer
to the movements, more than once, of certain peoples and nations, to the bosom of
Christ or to His Church - He who came incarnated, a descendant of Shem, opening the
doors of His Church before all peoples and nations. Japheth generally represents the
Indo-European people3.
Here, seven sons of Japheth were mentioned. After whose names several
peoples were called, from which several others were derived. We shall not go here
into their details. His seven sons are:
(1) Gomer: a name that means in Hebrew highest perfection, especially that
of failure!4 The wife of the prophet Hosea carried that same name Gomer, the
daughter of Diblaim. The descendants of Gomer inhabited the north, to be called by
the Greek Historian Homer, People of the far north5. Herodotus mentioned that they
came to Asia from regions beyond the land of the Caucasians6, and settled down in
Capaducia, where they presented a threat to the Assyrian Empire, until defeated by
Aserheddon. Moving west, they occupied Asia Minor, where they entered more than
once into battles with Guges, the King of Lydia, at the end of which he was
eventually killed. He was probably the one called by the Holy Scripture by the name
. : 1
New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible, p. 446; McKenzie: Dictionary of the Bible, p. 413.
3
New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible, p. 446.
. : 4
5
Odyssey 11:14.
6
Herod. 4:11-12.
2
of Gog1. Afterwards, they were driven out of Asia (Lydia), by the Alyattes2.
(2) Magog: A Hebrew name meaning the land of Gog. The name Magog was
connected to Gog; the two names symbolized opposition to Christian faith (Revelation
20: 7-9).
In the Middle Ages, the Syrians called the land of the Tatar, Magog; while
the Arabs gave that name to the land located between the Caspian Sea and the Dead
Sea.
(3) Madai: From whose descent the empire of the Mades, that united with
Persia, came. They dwelt south and south-west of the Caspian Sea - of an area of
about 150, 000 square miles; known as Mades or Media.
(4) Javan: Father of the Greeks. the word Javan in the Holy Scripture
(Zechariah 9:13), means the Greek or Macedonian people, whose land was also called
Eonia.
(5) Tubal: mentioned together with Javan (Isaiah 66:19) and Meshech
(Ezekiel 27:13), in connection with slave trading. Gog had been the head of Meshech
and Tubal, the two people have been connected together, and known in Assyrian
history by the two names: Mushbi and Tabali, as very strong opponents of Assyria
in the twelfth century B.C. The descendants of Tubal probably dwelt in the land east
of Asia Minor.
(6) Meshech: It is believed that his descendants dwelt in the region next to
where Tigris and Euphrates rivers spring (Psalm 120:5; Ezekiel 32:26). Then moved
to the vicinity of the Dead Sea and the Caspian Sea; they were traders with Tyre
(Ezekiel 27:13).
(7) Tiras: From whose descendants, the Tirasian people came. They dwelt on
the islands and coasts of the Aegean Sea; they are probably the pirates of Turusha,
who invaded Egypt and Syria in the thirteenth century B.C., and were mentioned in
the records of Ramses the Third3.
From the descendants of these seven sons, came other peoples and nations,
actually this is not the right place to discuss them.
2- DESCENDANTS OF HAM
The word Ham means hot. That is why the god of the sun was called
Hammu, because of the heat of the sun and its warmness.
Ham was born to Noah when he was 500 years old (Genesis 5:32; 6:10; 9:24).
He, and his son Canaan behaved unwisely toward Noah, bringing a curse to Canaan
(9:23-27).
From Ham, through his four sons, came peoples that dwelt in south Arabia,
Nubia, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the Land of Canaan; although Egypt had been called by
the name of Ham in old poetry (Psalms 78:51; 105:23, 27; 106:22). His four sons
are Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan:
(1) Cush: The word Cush, in Hebrew, means black. Cush, the firstborn of
Ham, gave birth to five sons who produced five peoples: Seba (meaning man),
Havilah (meaning province), Sebta (meaning striker), Raamah (meaning trembling)
and Sabtechah (meaning striker4). These peoples dwelt in mid and south Arabia. But
. : 1
2
3
Herod. 1:16.
New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible, p. 951.
. : 4
Seba departed to Africa (Ethiopia). That is why Cush, in the Old Testament, mostly
designates Ethiopia and Nubia (south of Egypt), and sometimes south and middle of
the Arabian Peninsula. In several dictionaries of the Holy Bible, Cush is considered
only as Ethiopia.
The descendants of Ham generally produced peoples and nations that were
opponents to the work of God and His people in the Old Testament. That is why the
Old Testament came to proclaim the divine wrath on these peoples, being symbols of
evil; Cush referred to the darkness of ignorance. And Egypt to the love of the world
that enslaves the soul. Besides that Canaan refers to the devilish work etc. Yet
prophecies of the Old Testament did not leave these peoples without hope, but
proclaiming the rejection of Gods people of faith, they also proclaimed the
entrance of these nations into the divine covenant. Thus, these nations that were
under curse because of their idolatry and defilement, became the sanctified bride
preparing for the eternal life in the bosom of the heavenly Father.
If the Holy Bible reveals that through the seed of Shem, the Son of God would
come incarnate as a descendant of Abraham, it likewise reveals the work of the evil
one, especially through the descendants of Nimrod, and through that of Canaan who
represented who opposed the work of God. Concerning Nimrod, the son of Cush, it
was said: He began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before
the Lord; therefore it is said: like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord (Gen.
10:8-9). That mighty hunter established a reigning dynasty in Babylon, Shinar and
Accad. And, most probably, he was himself Gelgamish the Accadian, or the
Babylonian. Anyhow, Babylon turned to become later a symbol of pride and challenge
to God, as well as to the spiritual fornication (Revelation 14:8; 16:19; 17:1-5).
Babylon referred, according to St. Augustine1, to wickedness, and to the kingdom of
the deceitful antichrist2.
The word Nimrod means mighty or Mutinous. As to the saying A mighty
hunter before the Lord, it probably means that he was an arrogant, taking pride in his
might in hunting and his opposition to the Lord. Strangely enough, many of those
opponents to the Lord, were beast hunters like Esau; that is why St. Jerome says:
[Esau also has been a beast hunter and a transgressor. In all the Holy Scripture, while
we do not find a good hunter, we encounter many good fishermen3.]
The kingdom of Nimrod was in the land of Shinar, meaning Two Rivers,
probably because of its location between Tigris and Euphrates, the plains of the land
of Babylon. That kingdom included four principal cities at that time: Babylon,
meaning Gate of God; Erech meaning permanent; Accad, meaning straight; and
Calneh, namely a fortress.
Nimrod and his tribe were not satisfied with that region, but set forth to
Assyria, Nineveh dwelling place of the god Nin, Rehoboth Ir the spacious city,
Calah old age, and Resen.
(2) Mizraim: This name in Hebrew designating a double sense, is attributed by
some to Egypt being formed of two sections: Upper and Lower, or because the River
Nile divides it into two sides: east and west. But the most accepted view is that it was
called Misr in Arabic, after Mizraim in Hebrew, who inhabited it with his children,
before extending to the neighboring lands. His children are:
1
On Ps. 26.
. 2
Ludim: From whom the people of Lud, or the Ludians came; they are different
from the Luds, descendants of Shem (Gen. 10:22). They dwelt west of the Nile, close
to Libya.
Anamim: The tribe of his descendants dwelt in Libya.
Lehabim: The tribe of Lehabim seems to be that of Lubim (the Lubians),
Africans who originated in Egypt.
Naphtuhim: His descendants dwelt in Middle Egypt, close to Memphis,
center of god Petah: one of them might have immigrated to Ethiopia.
Pathrusim: Dwelt in Phetros in Upper Egypt; the word Phetros means the
Land of the South.
Casluhim: meaning fortified; his descendants most probably dwelt in
Kesionis, a mountainous region east of Balsam, on the frontier of Egypt with
Palestine. From Casluhim came Philistines, whose descendants moved to Philistine, to
form the old Philistinian people. The word Philistine is probably derived from
Philistines, meaning a foreigner or immigrant. From Casluhim also came
Caphtorim, meaning crowns, whose descendants dwelt in Caphtor, thought by
some to have been in Cappadocia in Asia Minor; while some others believe it to be
Cyprus or the Island of Crete; still others believe that it has been in the Nile Delta near
Memphis, where there was a city called Capet-Hur, or most probably Caphtor.
(3) Canaan: The younger son of Ham; from whose descendants came the
Canaanite tribes. We spoke concisely of some of these tribes in the introduction to the
Book of Joshua1.
3- DESCENDANTS OF SHEM
Shem is a Hebrew name that means high. Behaving wisely, together with
his brother Japheth, when their father Noah drank and got naked, he was blessed by
his father. His five sons dwelt in the region extending between the west of Asia and
the east of the Mediterranean Sea. From his descendants came the Jews, the
Arameans, the Assyrians, and the Arabs; That is why the languages spoken by the
descendants of Shem, are called the Semite languages, like the Arabic and the Hebrew
languages. The five sons of Shem are:
Elam: In Acadian language, it means heights. To him the Elamites and the
Persians are referred. The land of Elam extends beyond the Tigris River, east of the
kingdom of Babylon, south of Assyria and Media, and south-east of the kingdom of
Persia. The capital city of that kingdom was Shushan. Its people were thus the
Elamites and were called the Shushamites. Elam was the center of an old empire
that used to have an active political role in the history of the ancient empires of the
east. Although the Elamites contributed to the fall of the kingdom of Babylon (Isaiah
21:2), yet the Medes included it in their empire (Persia and Medes), and made it a
province of theirs, and made Shushan its capital (Daniel 8: 2). We hear about the
Elamites in the day of the Pentecost (Acts 2:9); Now it constitutes a part of Iran,
known as Khozestan.
Asshur: He was the father of the Assyrians. Assyria is located at the upper
reaches of River Tigris; its capital was Asshur, known today as the citadel of
Sharkat, on the west bank of the Tigris. The capital was moved later on to Nineveh.
Assyria had been in continual conflict with the Babylonians in the south, and the
Hittites in the north-west. Israel together with Judas, both submitted to Assyria, and
. 1
paid taxes to it. Israel fell under the captivity of Assyria as prophesied by Amos
(Amos 5:27; 6:14), and by Hosea (Hosea 10:6; 11:5). God fought for Hezekiah, king
of Judah, when attacked by Sennacherib, king of Assyria (Isaiah 36, 37). Finally, they
were defeated by the Medes and the Babylonians.
Arphaxad: The grandfather of the Arab Yaktan tribes. Josephus believes that
he was also the grandfather of the Caldeans, who dwelt in the southern parts of the
province of Mesopotamia.
Lud: Grandfather of the Ludians; who were different from the other Ludians,
descendants of Mizraim, who dwelt west of the River Nile in North Africa. Those,
who were descendants of Shem, dwelt in the region of Lydia, west of Asia Minor.
Aram: meaning the high ground: The Aramaic language was the old Syrian
language. Aram has been a group of little countries or provinces, of which are, Aram,
Mesopotamia (Gen. 24: 10), Aram, Damascus, Aram Soba (1 Samuel 14: 17), Aram
Maaka (Joshua 12), and Aram Beth-Rehob (Judges 18:28) etc.
Moses was keen to mention the descendants of Arphaxad, who begot Salah,
who begot Eber, who begot Peleg, who begot Reu, who begot Serug, who begot
Nahor, who begot Terah, who begot Abram (the Patriarch), who took Sarai as his
wife. Moses also mentioned that Lot was the nephew of Abram, son of Haran, son of
Terah.
St. Augustine interpret the verse1, The name of one was Peleg, for in his days
the earth was divided (Gen. 10:25), that division referred to diversity of languages.
As in the days of Peleg, many languages began to appear on earth, after they were
speaking the single language that was spoken by all, later on was called Hebrew.
CHAPTER 11
1-9.
10-26.
27-33.
confusion, in hope that man would begin to look inside himself, to seek the union of
the language of love and spirit, before seeking that of the apparent tongue.
And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain
in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, Come, let
us make bricks and bake them thoroughly. They had bricks for stone, and they had
asphalt for mortar. And they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower
whose top is in the heavens. Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered
abroad over the face of the whole earth (Gen. 11:2-4)
Following the great flood, after the ark settled down on the Mountain of
Ararat, they journeyed eastward to the land of Shinar, that is the plain of Tigris and
Euphrates, south-east of that mountain. There, they found the climate suitable to make
red bricks, in the way it is still done in Egypt. As to cement, they used a kind of
mineral mortar, that when solidified, it is called asphalt, which is common in the
plains of Euphrates.
Their human plan has been to arrange for building a city and a high tower, so
that, in case of another great flood, they would find for themselves a resort against
Gods severe chastisements, in the same manner as for the Canaanite cities: Great
and fortified up to heaven (Deuteronomy 1:28).
The evil did not lie in building the city itself, or in the desire to build a high
tower, but in the purpose of the work, To make a name for ourselves, lest we be
scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth, as though they had no confidence
in Gods covenant with their father Noah, counting God as not honest in keeping His
promises. Nonetheless, it would have been proper for them, instead, to return to God
with love, in order to find in Him their heavenly city, and a true Tower; and by Him,
they would have made for themselves a name, not only over the face of the earth, but
even in heaven!
By their intention to build an earthly city to protect them from the wrath of
God, they rejected the heavenly city, which, in its essence, is resorting to the bosom of
their heavenly Father. St. Augustine believes that it was Nimrud who built that city
called Babel (Gen. 10:9-10), saying: [Babel means confusion; When the Holy
Scripture spoke of Nimrud, it said The beginning of his kingdom was Babel (Gen.
10:10). Babel had the authority over the rest of cities, having been a capital or a royal
seat, although it did not reach the standard put for it by the arrogance and evil of its
builder. The plan for the tops of its buildings was to reach heaven. What was the goal
of those daring arrogant people? How could they fancy doing something higher than
God, when they build it on the top of all mountains or even over the clouds of
heavens? What, materially or spiritually, could harm God? The true and safe way to
heaven is to be established by humility, that lifts the heart up to God, and not against
Him, as was said of that mighty man, who was a mighty hunter before God (Gen.
10:9). This verse was misinterpreted by some, owing to the obscurity of the Greek
word that was not translated as against God but before God. This word can carry
both meanings: against and before. In the Psalm, it was used as before, in: Let
us kneel before the Lord our Maker (Psalm 95:6); and in Job, as Against in: That
you turn your spirit against God (Job 15:13).So it is to be understood here, that that
hunter was against God. What does the word hunter designate, but the deceiver,
the opponent, and killer of animals? He and his people built that tower against God, as
an expression of their evil arrogance, and were justly punished, although their plan
failed. What was the nature of their punishment? As the tongue was the instrument of
their authority, it became the object of punishment, so that the man who did not wish
to understand God who gives the commandments, He would not, himself, become
understood as he issues orders2.]
Because of pride, man lost his binding unity; and as St. Augustine says:
[Through pride, tongues were divided; and through the humble apostles, tongues were
united3.] Because of pride, man lost his inner unity; so if he, in his pride, did not
understand the language of God, full of love, in consequence, the body would not
understand the language of the Spirit; and the Spirit would have a language against
that of the body. Here the apostle Paul says about man who is outside the circle of the
Holy Spirit, Grantor of unity: For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the
things that you wish (Galatians 5:17).
St. Augustine comments on the verse, The Lord came down to see the city
and the tower which the sons of men had built (Gen. 11:5) saying that those who
were building were the sons of men: [They were not the sons of God; they were living
in an earthly way, in what we call an earthly city.] As to saying: The Lord came
down to see, this does not mean the literal concept of this phrase, [God is, in his
wholeness everywhere, and does not need to move from one place to another; but it is
said that He comes down, when He does something extraordinary on earth, as though
by that His presence could be felt. In the same way, saying to see does not mean that
He would learn something new, as there is nothing that he does not know, but it is
said, to see, or to know, in a sense, to let others see and know4.] And as we
previously said, that He, in His love, talks to us in our human language, so that we can
understand His ordinances and secrets as much as we can. St. Augustine5 believes
that God descends to us through the coming down of His angels, being His dwelling
place, and His fellow-workers (1 Corinthians 3 9).
2- DESCENDANTS OF SHEM
St. Augustine presents us with an interpretation of mentioning the descendants
of Shem, directly after the talk about the great flood and the building of the city of
Babel, saying that, as from the descendants of Ham came he, who built Babel, the
symbol of the earthly city, so also, from the descendants of Shem came He Who
builds the city of God: [It was necessary to keep the genealogy of the generations
descending from Shem, to reveal the city of God after the great flood, as it was already
paraded, the genealogy of generations that descended from him before the flood. And
now, after the Holy Scripture revealed the earthly city, Babel or confusion, it gets
back to father Shem to save the generations descending from him down to Abram,
recording the age of each father when he begot the son mentioned in the genealogy, as
well as all the years of his life6.]
St. Augustine7 believes that the whole world was speaking one language, that
was later called Hebrew; and that in the days of Peleg, the earth was divided, and
other languages appeared beside the Hebrew. Yet the line connecting between Shem
and Abram, kept speaking the Hebrew, while the other branches adopted other
languages, those about whom is said: begot sons and daughters (Gen. 11:17, 19, 21,
2
23, 25); the son every father begot, was handed the inheritance including hope in
Gods promise, and the language, while the rest of sons and daughters behaved
according to a different spirit, and talked another language different from that of their
father.
CHAPTERS 12-25
GODS DEALINGS WITH ABRAHAM
To be able to follow up what came in the Book of Genesis (Chapters 12 to 25),
it is proper for us to present the main lines of Gods dealings with our father Abraham
before the study of each of these chapters.
(5) IN HEBRON
5
Abraham returned to Hebron, where Sarah died and was buried in the cave of
Machpelah (Gen. 23).
CHAPTER 12
A CALL ON ABRAM
Humanity, even after the great flood, persisted on dealing with God as an
enemy and not as a loving friend; Yet God, with His love, did not give us His back,
but searched until He found among people, one single man, worthy of His call to
become a father to the people of God, in whom all the families on the earth shall be
blessed. That father, Abram, was called to get out of his country, from his kindred,
and from his fathers house, to set forth with humanity, in its relationship with God
with a new start.
1- A call to Abram
2- Abram, a blessing for all nations
3- Abram, practical in his faith
4- Abram in Egypt
5- Sarai and Pharaoh
1.
2.
3-9.
10-13.
14-20.
1- A CALL TO ABRAM
Abram was the tenth in the succession of fathers born to Shem after the great
flood. Abram, a word meaning a respectable father, was changed to Abraham,
that means A father of many nations (Gen. 17:5). As he started his life as a dignified
and respectable father, and God made him a father of fathers, a father of many nations.
Abraham lived with his father Terah and the rest of the family in Ur of the
Chaldeans, in a city known as Uri, south of Babel, of which few ruins remain called
nowadays as (El-Mogheir). Recent discoveries indicate that it existed 1000 years
before the time of Abraham, and that it was before on the coast of the Gulf. It was
reputed for its god Nanar, god of the moon, whose worship was tinted with bitter
defilements. Although Abram lived in that flourishing business atmosphere, with its
heathen uncleanness, yet he stayed faithful in his testimony to God during his life.
God testified to him, saying: Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham
and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they
served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River,
led him throughout the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him
Isaac (Joshua 24:2-3).
In that region, the descendants of Shem lived attached to those of Ham,
adopting their evil ways; that in the whole area, if not in the whole world at that time,
there was no one who truly worshipped God, except Abram, who remained a witness
to the Lord, drawing to him his wife Sarai, and his nephew Lot, to live a sanctified life
in the Lord.
Seeing Abrams faithfulness, God called on him to get out of Ur of the
Chaldeans, then repeated the call in Haran, where he lived for a long time with his
father, his wife, and his nephew, before his father died (Gen. 11:31-32). Indeed, the
Book of Genesis did not mention that call to get out from Ur of the Chaldeans,
mentioning only that call he got later on in Haran, yet the Scripture confirms that
earlier divine call in Ur of the Chaldeans, before he went to Haran (Acts 7:2).
God did not disregard a single man, faithful in a whole city, even in a whole
world at that time, but made of him a rock out of which believers are cut; and as said
by Isaiah: Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you
were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you. For I called him
7
alone, and blessed him and increased him. For the Lord will comfort Zion (Isaiah
51:1-3)
God requests from those who follow righteousness and who seek the Lord, to
look upon their father Abraham, as a rock from which they are cut, to be truly the
children of Abraham, to see how God called him, not disregarding his single status,
but turned him into a multitude, and a comfort to the heavenly Zion. God loved him so
much, that he called Himself God of Abraham, and counted His heavenly Paradise
as the bosom of Abraham.
Amid that dark heathen atmosphere, God saw one sole heart, yearning to
encounter Him. So He called on him to get out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and later of
Haran, the two cities were centers of moon worship. He called on him to leave in
order to make his descendants a Holy Church.
The divine call to Abraham came as such: Get out of your country, from your
kindred, and from your fathers house, to a land that I will show you (Gen. 12:1).
St. Jerome commented on that divine call saying: [He got out of Ur of the
Chaldeans and from Mesopotamia, and went on to seek a land he did not know, in
order not to lose Him, whom he found (God). He found it difficult to keep both his
land and his God at the same time. Since his youth, he has been ready to realize the
words of the prophet: I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were
(Psalm 39:12). He was called a Hebrew, meaning a transient, as he was not content
with the contemporary privileges, but, used to forget those things which are behind,
and reach forward to those things which are ahead (Philippians 3:13); putting
before his eyes the words of the Psalmist: They go from strength to strength (Psalm
84:7). Thus his name carried a secret meaning; opening the way before you to seek
what is others and not what is yours1.]
He also says: [The Patriarch was called on to forsake Ur of the Chaldeans, and
the city of Babel confusion and Rehoboth (the spacious places) (Gen. 10:11). And
also to forsake the plain of Shinar, where the tower of pride whose top was in the
heavens (Gen. 11:2-4). It was fitting for him to cross over the waves of this world and
its rivers, where the saints sat down and wept when they remembered Zion (Psalm
137:1), to dwell in the land of promise, irrigated by water from above, and not like
Egypt, irrigated by water from below (Deuteronomy 11:10)... seeking the early rain
and the latter rain (Deuteronomy 11:14)2.]
This divine call is directed to every human soul, not to set forth from a certain
location, or kindred, or household, but to set forth with the heart out of the love of the
world and self, to encounter the heavenly Lord, and to live in His bosom. It is a call to
all generations that drew the hearts of a multitude of fathers, who realized that it is a
divine call that touches their personal lives. The following is a concise account of the
comments of fathers on it:
Abbot Paphnotius believes that it is a divine call to practice ascetic life,
through which one forsakes his land, namely love of worldly riches; his kindred,
namely his old life with all evil habits; his earthly fathers house, to seek that of the
heavenly Father. Of his words: [He first said to him: Get out of your Country (land),
namely, of the love of worldly possessions and riches. Secondly, He said, From your
kindred, namely, of your previous life, with everything it embraced, of habits and
sins, that attached to you since your birth, as though in a bond of friendship and blood
1
2
Ep. 71:2.
Ep. 46:2.
relationship. And thirdly, From your fathers house, namely, of all what you see in
the world. As far as the fathers are concerned, he should forsake the one and seek the
other; according to what the Psalmist David says: Listen O daughter, consider and
incline your ear. Forget your own people also, and your fathers house (Psalm
45:10). Whoever says: Listen O daughter, is surely a father1.]
This Saint believes that the call is directed to enjoy the three stages of
asceticism: A carnal abstention: forsaking the old behavior; and a liberation of the
spirit from the worldly, and preoccupation with the heavenly. It is not sufficient for
man to forsake his land, but he must practice fasting and all other carnal and concrete
asceticism and forsake his old evil habits. But he should also get out of his old fathers
house, to enter into the bosom of his heavenly Father, saying: For our citizenship is
in heaven (Philippians 3: 20).
Fr. Caesarius of Arles believes that this divine call is realized in the water of
Baptism through the Holy Spirit, who uproots from our land (flesh), its sins, and
abolishes its evil habits (kindred); it takes us away from our old fathers house (the
devil), to dwell in our new Fathers house. Of his words: [We believe and apprehend
that all these things have been realized in us, brothers, through the sacrament of
Baptism. Our land is our flesh. So, we respectfully exit our land, by forsaking our
carnal behavior to follow Christ. Shouldnt man count himself as out of his land,
namely his self, when he becomes humble after pride; patient after quick temper;
when he forsakes perversion to pursue abstinence; when he lets greed turn to
generosity and envy to compassion; and ferocity to meekness? Truly, brothers,
whoever so changes, through his love to God, would be as though he has forsaken his
land... Our Land, namely, our flesh, before baptism, is counted as the land of the dead,
yet through baptism, it turns to the land of the living, like that referred to by the
Psalmist, saying: I would have lost heart, unless I had believed, that I would see the
goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13). Through baptism we
become the land of the living instead of the land of the dead; namely the land of
virtues instead of that of wickedness... The Lord says: To a land that I will show
you (Gen. 12:1). We shall joyfully come to a land that God will show us, if we, by
His help, cast sins and wickedness away from our land, namely, our flesh.
Get out of your kindred; Here, kindred is understood as transgressions and
sins that are partly and somehow born with us, then increased and flourished after
childhood through our wicked habits. We get out of our kindred, if we, through the
grace of baptism, rid ourselves of sins... and do not, like dogs, go back to our vomit.
Get out of your fathers house. Let us take this phrase in a spiritual concept.
The devil, before the grace of Christ, has been our father, of whom the Lord in the
Holy Gospel speaks, as He rebukes the Jews, saying: You are of your father the devil,
and the desires of your father you want to do (John 8:44)... That is why, O brothers,
it is fitting for us to become worthy of these things through the grace of baptism, and
not through our own strength, to get out of our land, namely, the lusts of our flesh; out
of our kindred, namely of sins and wickedness (habits); and of the house of the devil
(our father). Let us do our best, by His help, not to resume our fellowship and
friendship with the devil,... but to follow the example of Abrahams faith, to do the
good things all the time, not only to gain forgiveness of our sins, but also to enter with
God into a relationship of friendship and fellowship. Let us contemplate with fear and
apprehension, in what God told Moses in this concern, Take heed to yourself, lest
1
Cassian Conf. 3.
you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a
snare in your midst (Exodus 34:12). Now, we believe that through baptism, we take
away all sins and transgressions; but if we get back to make a covenant with them, it
would be a snare to us1.]
Abrahams departure was not an easy one, having lived in a coastal city,
known for its richness, progress, and culture, besides his attachment to his family,
especially that that call came to him in an advanced age. He got out of Haran when he
was 75 years old, that is in an age when he is in need of settling down. He had no son
to inherit him or to care for him in his old age. We know that man tends to move
around, more easily, when he is young, but this becomes difficult, as he grows older,
particularly when his movement implies an extensive alteration in his lifes style and
system. Yet, despite that, Abraham, in the flexibility of childhood, responded
obediently to God. St. Ambrose says: [Here is our father Abraham, who is to become
a role model to the future generations, when he was commanded to get out of his land,
his kindred, and his fathers house, despite all his family commitments, didnt he
prove that he without hesitation, decided to go ahead and overcome all difficulties,
with no intention to look for excuses2.]
With such attitude Abraham accepted and obeyed the divine call, despite all
difficulties and human emotions. And strangely enough, God did reveal to him the
destination where he is going to settle in, but says to him: (Go) to a land that I will
show you (Gen. 12:1). What is the land the God will show us, in exchange of
forsaking our old life, but our enjoyment of entering His new heavens and new earth!
He does not intend to let man be in deprivation, but He gives us far more than we
leave behind. He grants us a new earth, or as St. Paphnotius tells us: [It is not a land
that you can know or discover through your own effort, but is a land that I will show
you, a land that you know nothing about3.] St. Gregory of Nyssa believes, that the
goal of that departure, is entering into a new land, namely an enjoyment of knowing
God, saying: [If we can, with the exalted spirit of the apostle, take these words
according to their symbolic concept, to get down into the secret meaning of history,
without losing the true concept of its events, we shall surely find that Abraham, the
father of faith, got out, according to the divine commandment, of his land and kindred,
into a trip worthy of a prophet, who is thirsty to the knowledge of God; As I think that
the blessings he was found worthy of getting, were not proportional of a simple
immigration from one place to another; his getting out of his self and of his land - as
I understand - is a departure from his earthly and carnal thoughts, and an exaltation to
a level that is much higher than normal nature; to have hi eyes opened to unseen
things, with no sensed hindrance; there would be nothing to hear or to see, that would
distract the mind, but to walk according to faith, according to what the apostle say,
that Abraham was lifted up, through his exalted knowledge, to reach to what is
considered as the top of human perfection, recognition of God, of all that is possible
for the limited human possibilities to apprehend4.]
Serm. 81:1-4.
Duties of the Clergy 1:24.
3
Cassian Conf. 3:10.
4
Answer to Eunomius 2.
2
10
gives a promise; When He says: Come out from among them and be separate, His
promise is: I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters (2
Corinthians 6:17-18). God called the childless Abram and promised him: I will make
you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great (Gen. 12:2). And
when He commanded him to forsake the richness of Ur of the Chaldeans, he promised
him: You shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him
who curses you. And when He commanded him to get out of his kindred and from
his fathers house, He said to him: In you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed (Gen. 12:3). God would not be indebted to any man, but seeks a chance to
give him abundantly; He wishes that all His children be in real fulfillment, and not in
need.
Abram, probably got used to his position as denied of a son of his own to
inherit him. But God is not only granting him a son, He is also making him a great
blessed nation. He is not only promising to bless his possessions, of which he would
lose much by his continuous moving, but he will make him a blessing. He is not only
promising him new relatives and friends, but that, in him, all the families of the earth
shall be blessed.
God wishes to give his children abundantly and with no limits, not just
blessing them, but to make each of them a blessing. When we carry God in us, our
life turns into light for the world, and a yeast to raise the whole dough. He wishes
to give Himself to us, to be a blessing, if we, like Abram, truly get out of our land, our
kindred, and our old fathers house; Even our name, we forsake it, to carry the name
Abraham in place of Abram, namely, forsake the old carnal name, to carry a new
one in the Lord.
Origen says: [He could not get the covenant with God, and the sign of
circumcision..., and enjoy the talk full of mysteries..., while he still is in his fathers
house, and amid his carnal kindred, carrying the name Abram, as long as he stays
connected to blood and flesh1.]
It is amazing, that when one forsakes everything, he would not be in need for
anything, but would enjoy the promises of God, not only for himself, but for the sake
of his whole congregation, and even the whole humanity; as it is said to Abram: In
you all the families of the earth shall be blessed, which was realized through the
coming of the Lord Christ, as a descendant of Abram, by whom all nations of the earth
were blessed. It would be also realized in another way, in the life of every believer,
who enjoys the configuration of the Lord Christ on the (mountain) of his inner heart,
to become a blessing for many. That is what the Lord Christ proclaimed in His famous
sermon by saying: You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world
(Matthew 5: 13, 14).
St. Augustine speaks about the blessing that Abram got, saying: [We notice
that Abram got two promises: The first that his descendants would inherit the Land of
Canaan, referred to by saying, I will make you a great nation; and the second
promise was even much greater, as it was not a carnal promise, but a spiritual one,
through which he would be a father, not only for the Israeli nation, but for all nations
that follow his steps2.]
11
12
listen to his farewell speech (Joshua 24:1). Shechem became the capital of Israel in the
days of Jeroboam who led the ten tribes in a revolt against Rehoboam (1 Kings 12);
and following the fall of the northern Kingdom, Shechem survived (Jeremiah 41: 5),
and became the capital of Samaria1.
Shechem or Nables, is 41 miles north of Jerusalem, 5.5 miles south-east of
Samaria; It is located in the high valley, surrounded by Mount Ebal from the north,
and Mount Gerizim from the south. The valley was known as Mabartha, meaning a
passage, having been a passage between the coast and the Jordan River.
It seems that Abram did not enter Shechem but pitched his tent close to its
wall, then crossed to the terebinth tree of Moreh (Gen. 12:7), meaning terebinth of
the teacher or of the diviner, after a certain diviner who was living and meeting with
people there.
In that location Abram built an altar to the Lord (Gen. 12:7), for the first time
in the land of Canaan; and it is said that Jacob buried all the foreign gods in his
familys hands, and all their earrings which were in their ears (Gen. 35:4), that they
brought from Haran. And there, Joshua took a large stone and set it up there under the
oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord, and said to all the people. Behold this
stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He
spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God (Joshua
24:26-27).
The location was sanctified, as Abram offered a thanksgiving sacrifice to God
who brought him to the land of Canaan, that He promised to give him and to his
descendants after him where God is glorified, and the foreign gods are buried, to turn
the place into a preaching location for the true Joshua, where people would listen to
the Divine Word.
That was the first time we hear that God appeared to a man (Gen. 12:7), to
confirm his promise to Abram; To your descendants I will give this land (Gen.
12:7). There was nothing for Abram to do but to build an altar to the Lord, to offer on
it a thanksgiving sacrifice, to Him who called him, and accompanied him on his way,
and cared for him.
Abram moved to Bethel... There he built an altar to the Lord, and called on
the name of the Lord (Gen. 12:8). Then he Journeyed, going on still toward the
south (El-Negeb).
4- ABRAM IN EGYPT
Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to
sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land (Gen. 12:10).
Famines were frequent in the land of Canaan, in which case its people used to
go down to Egypt, where the River Nile is.
Although the aged Abram had not been long in the land of promise when that
famine happened, he did not feel that he did wrong by getting out of his land, his
kindred, and his fathers house; He did not harbor any bitter feeling toward God; nor
any lowly thought of Gods promise to give him and his descendants that land prone
to famines
Egypt was blessed to receive Abram, the Patriarch, to subsist in the time of
famine, and to receive his grandson Jacob and his family, for the people of Israel to set
forth eventually from it. Yet, what was even greater than all was when the infant Lord
1
13
Jesus Christ blessed it by taking refuge in it (Matthew 2:13), realizing the prophecy of
the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 19). But there were many who believed that Abram did
wrong by going down to Egypt, with no direct command from God, as what happened
later on with his grandson Jacob, to whom God said: I will go down with you to
Egypt (Gen. 46:4). According to them, what Abram did, represents someone who,
after entering the land of promise, soon relied on human arm, and sought human and
not divine help. As Isaiah said: Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely
on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they
are very strong. But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord
(Isaiah 31:1).
As much as the Scripture magnificently portrayed Abram, as he was departing
in obedience to the divine call, leaning in faith upon Gods promise, it, likewise,
revealed his painfully human weakness, as he leaned on Egypt for help. And when, in
apprehension of what was known about the Egyptians of carnal lusts, he feared and
thus asked his wife to pretend that she was his sister, that it may be well with me for
your sake, and I may live because of you (Gen. 12:13).
When the Holy Bible talked about the famine, it said: There was a famine in
the land (Gen. 12:10), and did not say: the famine was severe upon Abram, as it
did say of the famine, that later befell the Egyptians, because the famine was severe
upon them (Gen. 47:20). What was said of the famine in the days of Abram was also
said of that in the days of his grandson Jacob: The famine was severe in the land
(Gen. 43:10). The believers could be surrounded with famines, yet they only touch the
land, namely the flesh; while they would break non-believers, upon whom the famine
would be severe (Gen. 47:10). And as Origen said: [The famine was not severe upon
Abram nor upon Jacob and his sons, but was severe upon the land. In the days of
Isaac, it was also said: There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that
was in the days of Abraham (Gen. 26:1). Yet that famine was not capable of
overcoming Isaac, to whom God said: Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of
which I shall tell you; sojourn in this land, and I will be with you (Gen. 26:2-3). In
my opinion, that remark corresponds with the saying of David: I have been young,
and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants
begging bread (Psalm 37:25). And also with Solomons saying: The Lord will not
allow the righteous soul to famish (Proverbs 10:3). All these texts proclaim that the
earth may suffer famine, and likewise those who set their minds on earthly things
(Philippians 3:19). But those who have the bread with which they do the will of the
heavenly Father (Matthew 7:21); and those whose souls rejoice by the bread that
comes down from heaven (John 6:51), would never suffer from famine1.]
So, You should never be afraid of famine, that affects the land and the earthly;
while those who are attached to the Lord, and who receive His Holy Body as spiritual
food, would never famish; as they eat from the tree of life (Revelation 2:7), and drink
from the true vine (John 15:1), new in the Fathers kingdom (Matthew 26:29). So
let us cease to be land; then we would never suffer famine; and let us enjoy the
heavenly life, to have eternal fulfillment.
14
was a temporary deprivation of his wife, having been taken over by Pharaoh. The
strange thing is, while Abram was unable to proclaim that Sarai was his wife, it was
proclaimed by God to Pharaoh to give her back to him unharmed, together with gifts
and dignity.
Amazingly, God does not deal with man according to his weaknesses; If God
allowed Pharaoh to touch Abrams wife, the latter would have suffered a guilty
conscience for the rest of his life, whatever were the blessings and gifts he would have
had. That is why God kept her safe from Pharaohs hands, besides all the riches and
dignity that Abram got. So let us say with the Psalmist: He has not dealt with us
according to our sins; nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as heavens are
high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him (Psalm
103:10-11). Abram had been one of those who feared and loved God; that is why he
enjoyed the mercies, high above the earth. And in him, was realized the saying: Do
not touch My anointed ones; and do My prophets no harm (Psalm 105:15). And as
St. Augustine1 says, Abram was anticipating Gods work with him, and got what he
anticipated.
15
CHAPTER 13
1-4.
5-9.
10-13.
14-18
Jewish woman, and left his ascetic life, St. John Chrysostom wrote to him to confirm
that his despair is far more bitter than adultery. He sent him two letters until he
repented and became a Priest, then a Bishop on the region of Mesopotamia. Of the
words of St. John Chrysostom to him: [If the devil has got such a power to pull you
from your exalted height and virtue, down to such extent of evil, so how much would
be Gods power to lift you back to your original status? He would not only get you
back to what you were, but would make you far better. Do not despair, and do not
throw away the good hope; Do not fall as the atheists did; It is not the great number of
sins, that leads to despair, but the lack of pious soul1.] Another time he says: [God is
offended by our unwillingness to change, far more than the magnitude of evil we have
committed; Whoever sinned, would fall into human weakness, but he, who persist on
sinning, would cancel his humanity to turn into a devil2.]
If Abram lost time through his going down to Egypt and returning from it
toward the land of the South, then to Bethel to the place where his tent had been at
the beginning, between Bethel and Ai (Gen. 13:3), namely he returned to where he
had been before. Yet, he came out of his temptation with great benefit and prosperity!
The children of God would never cease to grow and to enter into spiritual richness,
even if they get subjected in their life, to weaknesses or falls, and assumed that they
lost the years, to start again from where they have been before.
The Scripture testifies that Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in
gold (Gen. 13:2). That richness could not occupy his inner heart, nor confuse his
mind; Abram enjoyed both worldly richness and the joyful richness of spirit. St.
Augustine says: [In order to know that richness in itself is not something to blame,
Abraham was very rich, with a great wealth of gold, silver, livestock, and slaves; yet
he carried Lazarus, the poor beggar, to his bosom (Luke 16: 22); The poor was found
in the bosom of the rich; are they not both rich in the eyes of God?3]
On Ps. 52.
J. Strong., article 3876.
temptations exposed his weaknesses, and was falling apart, day after day; until he lost
his wife and possessions, and got defiled with his daughters. We cannot, however
deny him certain good sides.
Lot had been a companion of Abram, and both became very rich; Yet, Lot, in
his richness, had flocks, herds, and tents (Gen. 13:5), and did not have silver and
gold like Abram (Gen. 13:2). If silver refers to the word of God, and gold to the
Spirit or to heavenly life, Abram, in his richness, was holding fast to the word of God,
or to the commandment, as a secret of inner richness. And as the Psalmist says: I
have rejoiced in the ways of your testimonies, as much as in all riches (Psalm 119:
14); He was also holding fast to spiritual riches or heavenly life (gold); livestock did
not distract him away of eternity.
Although Abram had been rich in livestock, yet he had his heart open on Gods
commandment and His heavenly kingdom; Lot, on the other hand, had been
preoccupied with sheep, cows and tents, having a heart, closed to the heavenly
kingdom.
When Abram saw what happened between the herdsmen of his livestock, and
those of his nephew Lot, in love and for the sake of brotherly peace, he asked his
nephew to separate from him to whatever place he prefers. And as St. Augustine says:
[Probably from this came the peace-seeking tradition, for the older to divide, and the
younger to choose1.]
Abram, the older, yielded the right of choice, to the younger party, with joy
and content, something that revealed his faithful heart, and exposed Lots materialistic
heart, as though temptation testified to Abram, but exposed Lot. St. John
Chrysostom speaks of Abram, the prominent in dignity, how he was not disturbed, as
his nephew accepted to be given the right to choose, and took for himself the first best
portion, leaving to his uncle the second best portion saying: [When it ended up for the
older to lose his first portion, he did not get angry... but was satisfied with his second
best portion. When his younger nephew did him wrong, he loved him, and gave him
help in the time of need2.] He also says: [Abram, not seeking his own benefit, but that
of others, put himself in harms way; and interceded on behalf of those with whom he
had no relationship. His nephew on the other hand, hearing his uncle saying, If you
take the left, I will go to the right. He accepted the right to choose, and sought his
own benefit, to lose eventually all his possessions, as the whole region burnt up
(Genesis 19), while all the surrounding regions came to no harm3.]
(Gen. 13:8); while Lot, on the other hand, lifted his eyes To see all the plains of
Jordan that was well watered everywhere (Gen. 13:10). One and the same scenery
drew Abrams heart to brotherly love, and that of Lot to selfishness; the first longed
for Paradise, while the other sought the watered land.
Lot lifted his eyes to see the land like the land of Egypt. He recalled Eden,
yet, not in its inner peace and the encounter of man with the Lord, but in its being
watered and fertile like the land of Egypt. Thus in him, the spirituals were intermixed
with the worldly with no separation or discernment. Here, he represents the religious
person, who has the theoretical knowledge and the formal practices, while his heart is
drowned in the love of the world, crawling on the ground.
The third fault committed by Lot, besides his selfishness and lack of
discernment between spiritual and worldly things, was the fact that he did not care for
the inhabitants of that land, as they were exceedingly wicked and sinful before the
Lord (Gen. 13:13). An attitude that made him and his family loose much, spiritually
and materially.
either to Sodom, where doom is, or to the terebinths of Mamre, where we would have
an encounter with the Grantor of life!
CHAPTER 14
1-12.
13-16.
17-20.
21-24.
isolated and a transient stranger, yet he is able to support the falling souls, through his
sanctified life in the Lord.
Lot dwelt in a city that enclosed his mind to be concerned only in earthly
things, merely dust; while Abram dwelt in the terebinths of Mamra, meaning
(terebinths of vision), anticipating the vision of God. That did not keep him from
serving others; but on the contrary, motivated him more toward working for the
salvation of all.
St. Clement of Alexandria1 believes that the Scripture mentioned the number
of servants, who fought together with Abram as 318, for a certain reason. The figure
300 in Greek starts with the letter (Yota), a symbol of the sign of Jesus Christ; and the
figure 18 with (Ita), that refers to the name of the Savior; as though those servants
who fought together with Abram, were those who enjoyed the salvation of our Lord
Jesus, who resorted to His sign and name.
Strom. 6:11.
Ep. 62:4.
3
On Ps. hom 36.
4
On Christian Faith 3:88.
2
priests were from the tribe of Levi. In Christ Jesus, both were realized.
d- The offer of Melchizedek was individual in nature, referring to the sacrifice
of the Lord Christ.
e- We know nothing of his father or mother; his kingdom has no beginning or
end; referring to the Lord Christ, who has no biological father, and no mother, from a
Divine origin, with no beginning of days. He is eternal.
f- The Lord Christ came, a Priest, according to the order of Melchizedek; as
though the Levitic priesthood came to an end, to be replaced by a new priesthood.
g- Abram, who was a Levi origin who collected the tithes, presented, himself,
the tithes to Melchizedek who is the symbol of the Lord Christ. What then is this
symbol? And how great would be the person symbolized?
1
2
CHAPTER 15
2- A PROMISE OF BLESSING
Abrams life was actually a continuous series of encounters with God, and
enjoyment of promises. That was not favoritism, but Abram was found worthy of
these divine gifts, because of his practical living faith, and his obedience to God in
everything.
Abram lovingly admonished the Lord, for so great gifts without a son to inherit
him. Gods answer to him was: This one shall not be your heir, but one who will
come from your own body shall be your heir. Then He brought him outside and said,
Look now toward heaven, and count the star if you are able to number them; and He
said to him, So shall your descendants be. And he believed in the Lord, and He
accounted it to him for righteousness (Gen. 4-6).
According to nature, that promise seemed impossible to be fulfilled; Yet
Abram believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. That
was the first time we hear the word believed. Men of God often quoted this verse
Believed in the Lord (Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23); as though Abram,
the Patriarch had opened before us, his children, the way of righteousness through
faith. As the apostle says: Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was
imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who
raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead (Romans 4:23-24).
turtledove and the pigeon, besides carnal ones, symbolized by the three animals.
Although some believe in the Holy Trinity, yet they are carnal, being reluctant to
forsake their sins and wickedness.
Notice that Abram was commanded to cut the three animals in two down the
middle, then to place each piece opposite the other. As to the birds, the Scripture says:
He did not cut the birds in two (Gen. 15:10). Why was that? Because in the
Catholic Church there are carnal members that are cut, namely divided, while the
spiritual members would never be so. The reason for that division, is that the worldloving wicked people would never cease to oppose one another, while the spiritual
souls, would never divide, because they are of one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32).
Surely, the turtledove and the pigeon referred to, are these souls, as the turtledove
represents purity, while the pigeon represents simplicity. All people fearing God are
pure and simple, who say with the Psalmist: Oh, that I had wings like a dove! For
then I would fly away and be at rest (Psalm 55:6); and, Even the sparrow has found
a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young (Psalm
84:3). The carnals, divided between themselves, are burdened by the heavy chains of
sin, while the spirituals are lifted up to the heights, setting forth toward heaven, by
virtues, as though by two wings: the two commandments of love for the Lord and love
for one another. These can say with the apostle: Our citizenship is in heaven
(Philippians 3:20). And as the Priest says Lift up your hearts, they can humbly and
surely say that they already lifted them up to the Lord. Unfortunately, very few and
rare in the Church, can truly say and confirm it1.]
Fr. Caesarius also says: [I wish we reveal the simplicity of the pigeon and the
purity of the turtledove, in order to be lifted up to heaven by the spiritual wings of
virtue, according to the words of the apostle: We shall all be abducted in the clouds
to encounter the Lord in air2.]
Let us now think of Abram and how strange he looked before his wife and his
servants! That respectable elder standing over the slain animals and birds, cut and
arranged according to a certain pattern, without offering them on an altar, or
requesting them to be cooked. All day long watching and driving away the vultures
coming down on the carcasses attempting to snatch pieces of them! I wonder how did
Abram and all others feel.
These animals and birds refer to the Catholic Church in its purity and its
carrying the weak in her, as well as referring to the life of everyone of its members.
Abram refers to the alert spiritual soul, that, although unable to forbid the unclean
birds of prey from roaming around him, yet he can keep them from settling down on
him, or snatching something of his own. That is confirmed by many of the Fathers of
the Church, that the believer cannot forbid sins from attacking him. Yet, when they
find him alert, they cannot enter into him or infiltrate his mind and heart. So they stay
outside; roaming around, but unable to touch him.
He remained the whole day, obediently driving the vultures away, not hearing
nor seeing a thing; then horror and great darkness fell upon him... Why? He saw the
fruit of sin in mans life, how it corrupts and enslaves him. He heard how his
descendants would become enslaved to a strange nation for four hundred years... It is a
painful portrait of the soul that falls under sin, to come into the servitude and
humiliation of Pharaoh. But God, by sunset, namely by the fulfillment of days, sets
1
2
Ser. 82:1, 2.
Ser. 82:3.
forth humanity by the cross from that servitude, granting it great possessions, saying:
They shall come out with great possessions (Gen. 15:14) And it came to pass,
when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there was a smoking oven and a
burning torch that passed between these pieces (Gen. 15:17) A reference to salvation
of men by the Lord, and their enlightenment by the fiery Holy Spirit.
We can say that what happened to Abram here, refers to the redeeming work of
the Lord Christ; When sun went down, at the fulfillment of time, deep sleep fell upon
the Lord, as He yielded up His Spirit on the cross, proclaiming the bitterness of sin,
that brought us down to hell, and delivered us to servitude for some time. But the Lord
sleeping on the cross, as He descends into hell, He carries us upon His shoulders, and
let us come out as though with great possessions, carrying His riches and granting us
the riches of the Spirit, so that, when the world and the time come to an end, He
proclaims the salvation of our bodies, and proclaims His great day as though by fire.
St. Augustine presents us with the following magnificent interpretation of this
vision: [It is enough to say that, after saying that Abram believed in God, and that was
accounted to him for righteousness, it was not a failure of Abrams faith when he said
to God: How shall I know that I will inherit it? (Gen. 15:8). He did not mean to
imply that he does not believe that he would inherit it, but said How shall I know?
Namely, He asks for a sign to know the way by which, what he believed to gain would
be realized. In this He is like the Virgin St. Mary who asked, not in disbelief, How
can this be, since I do not know a man? (Luke 1:34). She was asking about the way
by which what is to occur, would be realized; to be answered: The Holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you (Luke 1:35). Here
too, he was given an accurate symbol by which to know the way that thing, which he
did not doubt, would be realized. That symbol includes three animals: A heifer, a goat,
and a ram, and two birds: a turtledove and a pigeon.
The heifer refers to the people who would submit to the Law; the goat refers to
the fact that they are sinful people; and the ram refers to that they would reign. (It was
said that these animals were three years old; and that is, because there are three well
defined epochs of time: From Adam to Noah; from Noah to Abraham; and from
Abraham to David, who would set up the kingdom of Israel according to Gods will,
following the rejection of Saul. These animals could be carrying other convenient
significance, but I have no doubt that they carry symbols of spiritual meanings,
together with the turtledove and the pigeon.
It was said: He did not cut the birds in two (Gen. 15:10); as the carnals are
divided against each others, while the spirituals are never so, whether they are like the
turtledove, isolated from the numerous disputes with people, or are, like the pigeon
living among them, both birds being simple and harmless.
As to the birds of prey that came down on the cut carcasses, these do not
represent a good thing, but the spirits of the air, that seek for themselves some gain,
through the schism of the carnals.
Abrams sitting close to them refers to the fact that, even amid the divisions of
the carnals, the true believers would be kept safe up to the end.
The horror and fear that fell upon Abram because of the great darkness, refer to
the fact that at the end of time, believers will be, as proclaimed by the Lord Christ, in
great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this
time; no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:21)
As to what was said to Abram, that his descendants will be strangers in a land
that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years; It
6
is obvious that that is a prophecy about the people of Israel who were to be enslaved in
Egypt.
As to saying: When the sun went down and it was dark, there was a smoking
oven and a burning torch that passed between these pieces (Gen. 15:17), that refers
to the fact that the carnal would be judged at the end of the world1.]
1
2
CHAPTER 16
1-5.
Scripture say? Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman
shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. So then, brethren, we are not
children of the bondwoman but of the free (Galatians 21-31).
Sarai had been barren, referring to the nations who could not provide children
to God. But she gave birth to Isaac, not according to the law of nature, nor according
to legal marriage, having been in her barrenness as though under the verdict of death.
But she gave birth to a son according to a promise by God to her and to her husband
Abram. She gave birth to a son in the Lord.
St. John Chrysostom says: [Isaac was born, not according to the law of
nature, nor through legal marriage or body strength; and yet, he is truly his son. He
came from two bodies that were dead, came from a dead womb. His birth was not
according to flesh, nor was he naturally conceived, as the womb was dead because of
old age and barrenness, but the Word of God (the divine promise) formed him
(through union of Abram and Sarai as a fruit of the promise, so he is their son and of
their seed). It was not the same with the son of the bondwoman, as he came according
to the law of nature. However, the one, not according to the flesh, was more dignified
than him, who was born according to the flesh1.]
He also said: [The Church was not only barren like Sarai, but also became like
her a mother of many children, she conceived them in the same way, not according to
nature, but according to a promise from God.] [Who is she, who was previously
barren and desolate? She is the Church of the Gentiles that was deprived of the
knowledge of God. And who is she, who has a husband? She is the Synagogue of the
Jews. But the barren one got more children, gathering together the Greeks and the
Barbarians, from sea and land and the whole world.] [As we are the children of the
barren, we are free. Yet what kind of freedom is this, if the Jews chase and persecute
the believers? We should not get disturbed by this situation as from the beginning the
son of the bondwoman used to persecute the son of the free2.]
St. Clement of Alexandria believes that Hagar represents the wisdom of the
world, while Sarai represents the divine wisdom or Gods knowledge. When Sarai
gave Hagar to her man, this refers to Gods knowledge that gives world wisdom or
culture, as a maidservant to serve man, while we dignify Gods wisdom as a spouse
and companion. Sarai sent Hagar away for some time, to chasten her for submission,
in reference to the rejection by man of the world wisdom, if it is not in the Lord.
Finally, St. Augustine presents us with a justification of Abrams behavior
with Hagar, saying: [Abram was not guilty concerning the maidservant; as He used
her, not to fulfill a lust, but in order to get a child; not to spite his wife, but to heed her
voice; she who assumed that, by using the fruitful womb of her maidservant, in place
of her barren one, she would legally root out her disgrace; the apostle says: The
husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does (1 Corinthians
7:4). So, as a wife, she used her man to get a child, through another woman, when she
found herself incapable of doing that herself. Here, there is no place for lust or low
defilement; as the maidservant was actually given to the husband by his wife for
getting a child; both of them were not committing a sin, but were seeking a good
cause. That is why, when the maidservant despised her barren mistress, Sarai targeted
her husband with her feminine jealousy. Although Abram, when he, unselfishly went
to Hagar, he did that, not at the expense of Sarai, but heeding her voice... So he said to
1
her: Your maid is in your hand, do to her as you please (Gen. 16:6)1.]
St. Augustine, justifying the behavior of Abram, believes that he proved his
love for his wife, by delivering the maid in her hand, to do with her as she pleases.
Yet, we cannot accept such behavior in the light of the divine grace. Abram and Sarai
behaved that way for the sake of getting children, anticipating that the Savior would
come as their descendant, but now, we are not seeking children or descendants
according to the flesh. From another aspect, if the husband does not have authority
over his own body, but his wife does, she has no right to deliver her husbands body to
another woman, for whatever excuse. She was given her man by the Lord, for both to
live as one body in the Lord, nobody should come in between!
he would be destroying himself. But if sanctified in the water of baptism, and accepted
the work of the Holy Spirit in him, he would be a servant to the Lord. Concerning this,
St. Augustine says: [Return to your mistress, O carnal soul, the arrogant maidservant;
If you had endured some pain, it is for the sake of chastisement; So why rebelling?
Return to your mistress, and enjoy the peace of the Church1.]
The angel of the Lord commanded her to submit and to obey her mistress
(Gen. 16:7), who possibly did not afflict her, but it was Hagar who had aggressively
despised her mistress. And as a reward for her submission, He promised her, that her
descendants would be exceedingly multiplied, yet her son would be a wild man, His
hand shall be against every man, and every mans hand against him (Gen. 16:12)
Hagar saw (the angel of the Lord). And as many scholars believe, that was one
of the apparitions of the Son of God. Hagar called Him, You- Are- the- God- WhoSees; (Gen. 16:13) for she said, Have I also here seen Him who sees me; and she
called the well, at which she encountered Him, Beer La-hai Roi, namely, the well
where the Living God was seen.
4- BIRTH OF ISHMAEL
Hagar bore Abram a son, and named him Ishmael, according to what the
Angel of the Lord had told her, meaning God listened. Abram confirmed that name,
on the assumption that God listened to him and gave him a son to inherit him (Gen.
17:18, as he did not expect Sarai to give him a son.
Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael, and 100 years old when
Isaac was born; So Ishmael was 14 years senior to his half-brother Isaac.
CHAPTER 17
1-8.
9-14.
15-17.
18-22.
23-27.
St. Clement of Alexandria1 believes that God did not just invite Abram to
enter with Him into a covenant, but delivered Himself a covenant to him; the Book
says: As for Me, Behold, My covenant is with you (Gen 17:4). A covenant,
according to St. Clement, is not just oral or written promises, but it is the acceptance
of God Himself, in Whom we find our peace, satisfaction, and fulfillment of all our
needs.
When we say that the Lord Christ offered His Body and Blood, as a new
covenant for the forgiveness of sins, actually He delivered Himself to us, so we can
find in Him the Fathers complacency; and the Father finds in Him our complacency.
Thus, in Christ Jesus, the Father and men, both find their true pleasure. The Father
sees us in His Son, justified with His blood; and we find in Him a heavenly Father,
who opens His bosom to us. Thus God Himself is an eternal covenant for us.
St. Jerome comments on the saying of God: No longer shall your name be
called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham (Gen. 17:5). [His name in Ur of the
Chaldeans has been Abram. But, in heaven, he is called Abraham, so his name is
changed to Abraham, as he became a star2.]
St. Augustine believes that changing the names of Abram and Sarai, came
together with the circumcision, as a sign of an overall change, saying: [What is the
significance of circumcision, but the renewal of human nature through rooting out the
old man? And what is the significance of the 8 days (for the circumcision), but a
reference to Christ, who was raised after completing the week, namely, after the
Sabbath? The names of the parents were changed, and everything is proclaimed new3.]
Strom. 1:29.
On Ps. hom 56.
3
City of God 16:26.
2
We can say that our hands, senses, and touches, all need circumcision as well. For a
man of God to be perfect, all his members should be circumcised: His hands should
refrain from stealing, and killing, and extend to do Gods work. Legs should be
circumcised, so as not to hasten to shedding blood, nor to the counsel of the
ungodly (Psalm 1:1); but do not care except to reach to our God. Eyes should be
circumcised, so as not to envy others for the good they have, and not to look at a
woman to lust for her (Matthew 5:28)... And so on, even when we eat or drink, etc.,
we should do everything for the glory of God. Look how the apostle asks for the
circumcision, even for taste Actually, if our members serve oppression, they are
uncircumcised, and we are not in a covenant with God. But if they serve
righteousness (Romans 6:19), to reach for holiness, in them, the promise to
Abraham is realized1.
Origen
I wish that we, who received the spiritual circumcision by the Holy Spirit in
the water of baptism, strife to stay circumcised in all our members and inner life, in
order to enjoy the divine promise, and be in an eternal covenant with God.
Origen2 believes that if we confess the Lord Christ with our lips, and did not
reveal His covenant in our flesh through our life, we would be like the Jews who take
pride in the circumcision of the flesh, and deny God by their work. He also comments
on the divine verse: My covenant shall be in your flesh an everlasting covenant, by
saying: [If we manage to create a balance and to set a unity in between members, in
order that all our movements are going according to the Law of God, His covenant
would be in our flesh; Seek how Gods covenant could work in the body be realized in
it. If we put to death our members which care on earth (Col. 3:5), we would realize
Gods covenant in our body. If I am always carrying about in the body the dying of
the Lord Jesus (2 Cor. 4:10), His covenant is in my body. If we endure, we shall also
reign with Him (2 Tim. 2:2), and so I would reveal His covenant in my flesh3.]
years old... A sign of his belief was his fall on his face to give thanks. Abraham did
not doubt Gods promise, but as the apostle says: who contrary to hope, in hope
believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken,
So shall your descendants be; and not being weak in faith he did not consider his
own body, already dead, (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness
of Sarahs womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was
strengthened in faith, giving glory to God (Romans 4:18-20). Though Sarahs womb
was as good as dead, and he was an old man, yet he, contrary to hope, in hope
believed in Gods promises, to set living descendants from that death. Likewise, some
believed that Sarahs womb was like stones, lifeless and incapable of giving birth. But
God set from these stones children for Abraham. Because of that, St. John the Baptist
said to the Pharisees and the Sadducees: Do not think to say to yourselves, We have
Abraham as our father, for I say to you that God is able to raise up children to
Abraham from these stones (Matthew 3:9). St. John Chrysostom says that this
analogy came on account that that people were descendants of Isaac who was given to
Abraham through the womb of Sarah, that was barren as though of stones1.
out to God, as Abraham, the Patriarch did: Oh, that they might live before you! That
they might enjoy the new birth by Your grace, to become the new Isaac!
If God granted Abraham Isaac as a son, a name meaning laugh, since Sarah
laughed in some doubt, and Abraham laughed with astonishment, then our new man,
gained in the water of baptism, is the true Isaac, we accept as a laugh (meaning
sanctified love due to exceeding spiritual joy and astonishment), for the great gift
granted to us through baptism!
CHAPTER 18
Ser. 83:5.
true, the circumcision, a symbol of baptism, which we attain by the name of Holy
Trinity, is the way to enter into the divine friendship; through which God yearns to be
received by us in our tent, that is sanctified by His Holy Spirit, to find in us His joyful
banquet, and hear our voice: Let my Beloved come to His garden and eat its pleasant
fruit (Song of Solomon 4:16); to enter joyfully into our hearts, and say: I have come
to My garden, My sister, My spouse; I have gathered My myrrh with My spice; I have
eaten My honeycomb with My honey; I have drunk My wine with My milk. Eat, O
friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones! (Song of Solomon 5:1).
Thus, our tent becomes a center of comfort for the Lord, He finds pleasure in
mankind. St. Macarius the Great says: [The heart is the palace of Christ; In it the
King gets in to find comfort, accompanied by the angels, and the spirits of saints;
there He dwells, walk, and establish His kingdom1.] Our tent would be transformed
into a Paradise, with which the divine Groom is pleased. And as St. Gregory of
Nyssa says: [This is for whom the bride has set her banquet. As for the table, it is a
planted Paradise, living trees ourselves - and the fruits that we offer are our souls...
The food prepared is our salvation, and the fruits are our free will, that presents to
God our souls, as though fruits gathered from the branch2.]
Let us stand with Abraham by the door of the tent, to host the Lord in our tent
that is His palace and His Paradise, to offer Him, by our free will (our life sanctified in
Him), the food that pleases Him!
Abraham, by hosting the Lord and His two angels, drew the attention of the
saintly men of God. St. Paul the apostle says: By so doing, some have unwittingly
entertained angels (Hebrew 13:2). The Fathers have abundantly spoken of the act of
entertaining strangers, as a way of entertaining the Lord in His creation. St.
Ambrose says: [The Lord Christ is probably coming in the person of the stranger or
the poor, having said: I was in prison and you came to Me: I was naked and you
clothed Me (Matthew 25:3)3.] St. Jerome says: [The true temple for Christ is the
believers soul. So let us adorn it. Let us offer Him clothes, and gifts. Let us welcome
Christ in him! What would be the use of walls adorned with jewels, if Christ in the
poor, is in danger of death because of hunger?4]
Hom 15.
Comm. on Cant. Ser. 10.
3
Duties of the Clergy 2:21 (107).
4
Ep. 58:7.
2
impossible for the secrets of the Lord to be fulfilled unless we, at least, wash the
feet1.] St. Ambrose says: [It is good to have humility; as when I wash away the
uncleanness of others, I am washing away my own uncleanness2.] It is as though, the
beginning of hospitality is the washing, not of feet, but of uncleanness, by forgiving
the wrong that others committed against us. By that, as we wash out their uncleanness,
we are washing our own.
except through the heated coal or tones, namely, our fellowship with the Lord in His
passion, to be transformed in Him into cakes. Passions are bitter and severe, yet
with the Lord they are transformed into glories, or into an offer of precious bread to
God.
(3) As he set the food before his guests, He stood by them under the tree as
they ate (Gen. 18:8). Abraham, his wife, and servants, did not only hasten to prepare
and offer the best they have to entertain their guests, but Abraham, the old man, stood
by them as they ate. Although he had servants, slaves and maids, yet he, himself,
lovingly stood to serve them!
Let us stand with Abraham under the tree of the cross, to serve others with
humility and joy. We would in them serve the Lord.
and not in fragility that leads to death. They enjoyed this grace, and got that
description, because they entertained the Word of God and His two angels; so their
life turned into heaven, and became worthy of getting the promise to have Isaac, the
symbol of Christ; and counted as old and prudent in the Lord.
Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I have grown old, shall I have
pleasure, my Lord being old also? And the Lord said to Abraham, did Sarah laugh,
saying, Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old? Is anything too hard for the
Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and
Sarah shall have a son. But Sarah denied it, saying, I did not laugh, for she was
afraid. And He said, No, but you did laugh (Gen. 18:12-15).
St. Clement of Alexandria believes that Sarah laughed, not because she did
not believe in the promise, but out of shyness for the whole situation: to be called
mother at that old age1. St. Augustine2 believes that she laughed out of joy, although
not in complete faith.
Abraham laughed and fell on his face before the Lord (Gen. 17:17), while
Sarah laughed inside herself (Gen. 18:13); So they begot Isaac, meaning laugh; so
that they would remember the work of God with them, every time they call his name,
and would glorify God who granted them a grace beyond nature.
Strom. 6:7.
City of God 16:31.
3
New Westminster Dic. p. 339.
2
As to the expression I will go down now and see, this should not be literally
understood; as God is Omnipresent, but it is an expression that fits our humanity to
reveal Gods justice. He does not hasten to punish, but it is as though He waits to go
down and see by Himself what man did... He is preoccupied with all humanity.
God came down to us to see our sins. And as Origen says: [In order to carry it,
as He takes the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7)1.] He comes down to us to carry
our heavy and bitter burdens, and to pay back the debts on our behalf, and to lift us up
with Him, as He did on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9: 2).
Following that conversation, the two angels departed to Sodom and Gomorrah,
but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Lovingly, he came near and said: Would You
also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within
the city...? (Gen. 18:23-24)
He did not speak with God about himself or his wife, concerning Gods
promise to grant them a child, but all his feelings were absorbed in what was going to
happen to those prone to doom. So he tried to intercede on their behalf! It is a living
portrait of mature love of man toward his brothers, asking for them more than he does
for himself, even if they are wicked and deserve death. And as St. John Chrysostom
says: [Abraham truly looked as if he was asking for the righteous, although he was in
fact asking for all. The souls of saints are very tender and loving, for the sake of their
own salvation, as well as of others2.]
If God entered into a dialogue with His friend Abraham, yet Abraham
committed himself to the spirit of humility in his talking with the Lord, and as St.
Augustine said: [When Abraham tried to intercede for the sake of Sodom and
Gomorrah with no avail, he finally said: I am dust and ashes! How great is the
humility of the great saints!3] St. John Chrysostom says: [Let us be humble, to be
lifted up; as vain glory would get man down; the same way Pharaoh did when he said:
I do not know the Lord (Exodus 5:2), to become less than flies, frogs, and locusts;
then to drown together with his army and chariots in the sea. On the contrary, when
Abraham said: I am dust and ashes, he defeated Barbarians; and when he fell in
Pharaohs hands, he returned to his land with more riches and glories than he
originally had. By keeping that virtue, he grew to more exalted status4.] St. Ambrose
says: [When Job sat in the midst of ashes God restored all his losses to him (Job 2:8;
42:10)5.]
CHAPTER 19
BURNING UP SODOM
While Abraham enjoyed to entertain God with two angels, Lot only
entertained the two angels, who rescued him from the destruction that befell Sodom,
although having lost his wife, and unwittingly defiled with his own daughters.
1- Lot entertains the two angel
1-3.
2- Agitation of the people against the two angels 4-11.
3- Saving Lot and his family
12-22.
4- Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah 23-25.
5- Lots wife becomes a pillar of salt
26.
6- Abraham looks toward Sodom and Gomorrah 27-29.
7- Lots daughters do wrong with their father
30-38.
blood relationship is concerned, but also in virtue. Because of his readiness to receive
strangers, he, together with his family, was saved from the punishment that befell
Sodom1.] And in a comment on that, St. John Chrysostom says: [Because of him,
angels came down to mankind; and men were lifted up to them2.]
(2) Comparing Abrahams feast with that of Lot, Fr. Caesarius says that three
men came to Abraham and stood by him (Gen. 18:2); while to Lot, the two men
came and stood in the open square. We can say that the Lord and the two angels
stood by Abraham in the tent door; or let us say that the Lord and His angels found
in Abraham a heavenly life, so they came into his place. As to Lot, they encountered
him as he was sitting in the gate of Sodom.
Let us be like our father Abraham, worthy of encountering the Lord and His
hosts, not in the gate of the city, but within our inner depths, being His well-beloved
heavens.
(3) There is a great difference between Abraham and Lot. The first, when he
asked the Lord and His angels to come to him, they instantly responded, saying: We
shall do as you have said (Gen. 18:5). But, with Lot, they wished to spend the night
in the open square, then responding to his strong insistence, they turned in to him and
entered his house (Gen. 19:3).
(4) Abraham acknowledging the mystery of the Holy Trinity, did not only
encounter three men, but he also asked Sarah to prepare three measures of fine meal;
as though he is asking the Church, to enjoy the faith in the Holy Trinity, in order to be
worthy, like the three measures of fine meal, of becoming heavenly bread.
(5) Abrahams encounter was crowned with his getting together with Sarah,
the divine blessing and promise of a son; while that of Lot, barely ended with being
saved together with his daughters, excluding his wife. The first was promised that his
descendants would enjoy the land of promise, while the second got out of the city
empty-handed and homeless!
(6) In this encounter, Abraham, lovingly interceded for others - the people of
Sodom and Gomorrah, while Lot entreated the two angels, for his own and his
daughters sake, to allow them to dwell in the city of Zoar.
We did not hear of any agitation accompanying the appearance of the Lord and
His two angels to Abraham, because Abraham represents the era of grace, while Lot,
on the other hand, represents that of falling under the Law. The first enjoys a joyful
encounter with God, in which the soul is lifted up above passion, and enjoys life on a
heavenly level, while the second enters in a narrow and bitter affliction, and exposes
his energies and capacities (his two daughters) to corruption. Yet, even in the era of
the Law, heaven interceded, and grabbed man into his house, and shut him in against
the wicked. The first brought on his body Sarah - (laugh) or spiritual joy in the Lord,
while the second entered into bitterness of soul.
Finally, if God condemned Sodom and Gomorrah with abolishment, yet He did
that after He said: I will go down and see (Gen. 18:21). Namely He gave the verdict
after deliberation. He probably allowed the presence of Lot among them, to be a living
role model for them, as well as a witness against them. But now, having done what
they did, they had no excuse
If Abraham in his dialogue with the Lord said to Him: Shall not the judge of
all the earth do right? (Gen. 18:25), God revealed His justice and love. He sent His
angels to testify against the wicked, and to save Lot and his family! He did not destroy
the righteous with the wicked.
Ep. 122:1.
the Book of Genesis: [Lot was never capable of dwelling in the heights with
Abraham.]
What is that holy mountain, to which we escape for our life, but the Scripture,
in which we find a strong fortress against the attacks of the evil enemy, the devil?!
That is why, when the Lord Christ went through the temptation on the Mount on our
account, and as a role model for us, He responded to every attack of the devil, by
verses from the Scripture, as though they are holy mountains, to which he lifts us up,
so that the enemy, with all his tricks, could not climb to us. That mountain also refers
to the Word of God, Himself, of whom the prophet Daniel, said: A stone was cut out
without hands which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in
pieces..., and the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the
whole earth (Daniel 2:34-35). Christ - the Word of God, is the Stone, cut out without
hands, as He is not of human seed; He is capable of striking the image of evil within
our depths; and as He occupies our inner ground, He would become a great mountain
to fill our whole heart!
Ep. 122:1.
Conc. Virgins 2:4 (29).
3
On Ps. 76.
2
No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom
of God (Luke 9:62). Lots wife, after being saved, looked back against the
commandment, so lost what she gained by her escape.
Let us not look back, and not heed Satans invitation to withdraw; but look
ahead to where the Lord Christ invites us. Let us lift our eyes up toward heaven, so
as not to be deceived by the earth with its vain pleasures1.
St. Cyprian
Ep. 7:7.
However, many Fathers rejected this view. They believe that they should not
have resorted to a human way to solve the problem, disregarding Gods power to
create children out of stones. In a lack of belief, they fell in the worst imaginable sin,
so that they became the symbol of the corruption of Israel and Judah, as they rejected
the Lord, and counted like the harlot sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, whom we have
dealt with in our interpretation of the Book of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 23).
St. Augustine believes that these two daughters represent a bitter portrait of
those who misuse the Law (the father), and attach to him carnally, namely literally and
not spiritually, to produce fruits that are not in the Lord; as these daughters bore sons
from their father: Moab and Ammon, the heads of two wicked nations: the
Moabites and the Ammonites, we dealt with in our interpretation of the Book of
Ezekiel (Chapter 25); with everything they represent. St. Jerome puts the blame on
Lot, even if what he did has been unwittingly.
It is far better for us to remain fruitless, rather than becoming mothers by such a
way! That was a symbol of those who corrupt the Law, by misusing it to produce
the Moabites, symbols of wicked deeds1.
St. Augustine
Although Lot had been unaware of what he unwittingly did, yet it was counted to
him a great sin, having become a father of the Moabites and the Ammonites, the
enemies of Israel2.
St. Jerome
Finally we say that Lot represents the mature mind escaping from evil, yet
reluctantly. His wife refers to the body retreating back, because of lusts; and the
daughters refer to vain glory and conceit.
1
2
On Ps. 60.
Ep. 22:8.
CHAPTER 20
1-7.
8-13.
14-18.
his two angels. After all that, he should have not hidden his marital relationship with
Sarah! Anyhow, the Scripture did not hide his weakness, despite presenting his life as
the father of all believers.
Now, going back to Abimelech, king of Gerar; the word Gerar means a jar1.
It was an old city near the southern frontier of Palestine, 5 or 6 miles far from Gaza;
inhabited by the Philistines in early times (Gen. 26:1). It is probably located where the
place called Kherbet-Om-Gerar is now. It is located 13 miles south-west of
Kadesh, according to some, or 19 miles south-west of Bet-Gebrin (Elitropolis), and
14.5 miles far from Tel-Gomaa. It seems likely that the word Abimelech was not
the name of a particular king, but most probably was a title of the majority of the
kings of Gerar, the same way Pharaoh was in Egypt.
Origen presents us with an allegoric interpretation of this incident, in
connection with the previous one with the Pharaoh of Egypt. He believes Sarah to
symbolize spiritual virtue or divine wisdom, acquired by Abraham as a wife, that
neither Pharaoh nor Abimelech could acquire: the first because of his lack of integrity
of heart, and the second because her husband was still alive. So, if Abraham
represented the Law, nobody could acquire spiritual wisdom, as long as the Law was
still alive. And as the apostle Paul says: The law has dominion over a man as long as
he lives. For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as
long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband
(Romans 7:1-2).
Of the words of Origen in this concern: [I believe that Sarah represents the
spiritual virtue. The wise and honest man is bound to this virtue; that wise man of
whom the Book of Wisdom says: I wish I acquire her as a wife (Wisdom 8:2). So
also God says to Abraham: Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice
(Gen. 21:12)... When we have spiritual virtue in us (as a wife and bride), and become
perfect, we would be in a position to teach others, and would introduce her as a sister
to be sought after by others to have in marriage; those to whom is said: Say to
wisdom, You are my sister (Wisdom 7:4). That is why Abraham said of Sarah that
she was his sister, as though he represents the perfect man, who presents virtue to the
one who seeks it. In the old days, Pharaoh wanted to have Sarah, yet with no integrity
of heart (Gen. 20:5); which is no way to acquire virtue; That is why the Scripture
says that God struck him and his house with great plagues (Gen. 12:7). As to
Abimelech, if he sought the virtue with integrity of heart as a wife, why then does
the Book say that God did not let him touch her? It seems to me that Abimelech
represents the wise people of this world, and the philosophy lovers, without p1ety.
Abraham wished he could give the divine virtue (Sarah) to the Gentile wise
(Abimelech), but the time was not yet ripe to have that divine grace. So virtue
remained with Abraham, remained with people of circumcision, until the time comes,
when absolute and consummated virtue cross over to the Church of the Gentiles2.]
is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live (Gen. 20:7, yet He allowed
the heathen Abimelech to rebuke and admonish his prophet, saying: What have you
done to us? How have I offended you that you have brought on me and on my
kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done (Gen.
20:9); as though he is saying to him: I have not done you any wrong; so why did you
deceive me, and bring on me that divine wrath?! If you had said the truth, that she is
your wife, she would have stayed with you, and you would have spared us all that
trouble.
It is strange, that Abraham, instead of admitting that he did wrong, he
presented, as an excuse for his deed, another offense, saying: Because I thought,
surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will kill me on account of my wife
(Gen. 20:11). He accused the people of the place, of having no fear of God for sure,
and assumed that they would kill him. Thus. he fell to the sin of judgment and haste,
despite what those people demonstrated otherwise. The second excuse was that she
was actually his sister, the daughter of his father, but not the daughter of his mother,
then became his wife. That, however, did not justify hiding their real relationship as
husband and wife, as long as that behavior would cause others to err with her.
CHAPTER 21
3- WEANING OF ISAAC
1
Ep. 62:4.
So the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the
same day that Isaac was weaned (Gen. 21:8).
Abraham did not make a great feast on the day Isaac was born, but on the day
he was weaned. Although we can not deny the great joy that filled the hearts of
Abraham and Sarah and everyone on the day the child was born, yet Abraham wished
to see Isaac grow from one stage to another, to reach maturity.
I wish we are like Abraham, rejoicing not only for the birth of Isaac, but also
for his weaning and maturation; namely to rejoice for every spiritual growth of our
inner man, who is renewed continuously, hopefully, to the measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).
Origen comments on the weaning of Isaac, saying: [Isaac means (laugh) or
(joy). Who can give birth to such a son?! The apostle Paul said to those he gave birth
to, in the Bible, You are our glory and joy (1 Thessalonians 2:20). When those born
are weaned, we make a feast and greatly rejoice, as they no longer need to feed on
milk, but on solid food (Hebrew 5:12), and have their senses exercised to discern
both good and evil (Hebrew 5:14). A great feast is made on the day they are weaned;
but there would not be any feast or joy for those of whom the apostle says: I fed you
with milk and not solid food, for until now you were not able to receive it, and even
now you are still unable, for you are still carnal...; I could not speak to you as to
spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:2-1)1.]
covenants: the son from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar...
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, the children of promise. But as he, who was born
according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even
so it is now. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? Cast out the bondwoman and
her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the
freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free
(Galatians 4:23-31).
As we received faith in the Lord Christ, we became by the Holy Spirit,
children of Sarah the free (Church of the New Testament). But if we walk through the
killing literality of the Law, and the spiritless formalities, we are retreating to the spirit
of bondage, to be referred to the bondwoman. Origen says: [If you walk according to
the flesh you become children of Hagar, so contradictory to those living according to
the Spirit1.]
If we walk according to the killing letter, and lived according to the flesh, we
become like the carnal son, who represents the earthly first man. But if we walk by the
Spirit, we become firstborn, not according to the flesh, but to the Spirit, and counted
as spiritual. And as the apostle Paul says: However the Spiritual is not first, but the
natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the
second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who
are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.
And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of
the heavenly Man (1 Corinthians 15:46-49).
As we get Isaac within us, namely we bear the spirit of the living Bible, the
killing letter of the Law would be cast out!
lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, What ails
you Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is (Gen. 21:17).
If Hagar represents the literality of the Law, those fallen under the Law, if they
comprehend the death they face and cry out in their heart, they would be heard. Their
eyes would be opened to see a well of water (Gen. 21:10), to drink from the living
water that they denied themselves. The Scripture says: And God opened her eyes,
and she saw a well of water. Then she went and filled the skin with water, and gave
the lad a drink (Gen. 21:19).
And as Origen says: [Today, the Jews, although close to the wells, yet their
eyes are blinded, so that they can not drink out of the wells of the Law and the
prophets1.] And he also says: [Our eyes are opened, and the veil of the literality of the
Law is lifted up; but I fear that we would shut them ourselves anew, through deep
sleep, our unawareness of the spiritual meaning, and our laziness in watching, and
keeping the sleep away from our eyes, in order to contemplate in the spirituals, so as
not to be deceived; lest we would be like carnal people, who although sitting by the
water wells, yet they can not see them. Therefore, let us watch together with the
prophet, saying: I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids, until I find
a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty God of Jacob (Psalm 132:45)2.]
Finally, Ishmael dwelt in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife
for him from the land of Egypt, a daughter of her own people.
up to this day. And in order to confirm his possession, Abraham planted, there,
tamarisk trees, to set his tents under their shade.
There, Abraham called on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. And he
sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days (Gen. 21:33-34).
We know of the great generosity of Abraham, and his persistent feeling as a
foreigner that made him refrain from possessing anything. Why then did he reprove
Abimelech for that well? Why did he insist on possessing it? Why did he call it
Beersheba, and why did he plant tamarisk trees around it?
The well surely refers to the Church, filled with the water of the Holy Spirit,
granted by the Lord Christ from the Father. That is why Abraham presented the seven
ewe lambs as a testimony of his possession of the well, as though he is selling
everything, in order to acquire the fellowship of the Church, and to drink from the
water of the Holy Spirit. As to calling it Beersheba, that refers to the work of the
Holy Spirit in the Church, especially in the seven sacraments. Planting the tamarisk
trees around it, refers to the believers who gather around the waters of the Holy Spirit,
and enjoy it in them (Ezekiel 48:7). By this, the everlasting God is glorified in them,
and His name is given to them, even if the believers sojourned as foreigners in the
world with Abraham many days.
CHAPTER 22
SACRIFICING ISAAC
If the star of Abraham had so twinkled in the heaven of the Spirit that was
because of his faith that lifted him up above events. Gifts motivated him to thank God
more and more, without ever clinging to them, and the afflictions justified him before
all. He experienced all along his years as a foreigner, a series of continuous conquests;
and now, having rejoiced together with his wife Sarah at the birth of Isaac, the son of
promise, whom they received in their old age, an exalted divine gift, God asks
Abraham to offer the beloved boy as a burnt offering of love. Yet, despite the great
harshness of that temptation, Abraham and Isaac were glorified, to become a living
portrait of the redeeming work of God, through the sacrifice of the Cross, and the
proclamation of the resurrection of the Messiah.
1- God tests Abraham
1-2.
2- Isaac on the way
3-8.
3- Setting the altar and offering the sacrifice
9-14.
4- Renewal of the divine promise
15-19.
5- The family of Nahor
20-24.
temptation revealed the heart of Abraham, the Patriarch, as a man who believed in
resurrection from the dead.
If Abraham went through the severest temptation that could happen to an old
man, that is offering his beloved only begotten son, as a burnt offering, by his own
hands, yet he enjoyed, amid that temptation, the visualization of the Lord Christ risen
up from the dead, through a particular sign, that filled his heart with joy, according to
the words of the Lord Himself: Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he
saw it and was glad (John 8:56). Thus, if he, by faith set forth with his son to the
altar, he came back from the temptation carrying Isaac as though risen up from the
dead, a symbol of the slain Christ the Lord risen from the dead.
The Scripture starts to tell about that temptation, saying: It came to pass after
these things (Gen. 22:1), as though God did not allow Abraham to be tested, except
after appearing to him at the terebinths of Mamre, confirming his promise concerning
Isaac. And after he made a covenant with Abimelech, revealing to him how He
granted him prestige and respect even before kings. In other words, God prepared him
in different ways, and as the apostle says: But God is faithful, who will not allow you
to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the
way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13). He prepared his
heart, his thought, and his whole life to receive the temptation. He accompanied and
supported him as well, during the temptation in a secret way. Therefore, before,
during, and after every temptation, God Himself will support us, in order to realize
His goal in us, if we accept His work in our lives.
Why did God ask Abraham to offer his son as a burnt offering, when the
Mosaic Law was going to forbid human sacrifices?
The heathens used to offer their firstborns as sacrifices to their idols. Yet these
practices were not done out of love, as much as out of despair in the hearts of those
who offered them, wishing for forgiveness of their sins, for whatever price. Besides
wishing to please their blood-thirsty gods! But God requested from his friend
Abraham that offer, in order to reveal to believers how much Abraham loves Him,
being ready to offer Him the dearest thing he possess. At the same time, as God
presented a ram to be sacrificed instead of Isaac, He proclaimed His refusal of human
sacrifices, not because of any lack of love for God on the part of believers, but in
appreciation of man. God does not stand human sacrifices, as He is a lover of
mankind, wishing for their life and not for their doom, presenting His Only-Begotten
Son to redeem them, He who, even though becoming Man, yet He is the Only One on
whom death cannot reign, nor corruption can approach!
St. Augustine says: [Abraham never believed that God would accept a human
sacrifice. Yet, once he heard the divine command for offering his son Isaac, he
instantly obeyed. Abraham was worthy of commendation, as he surly believed that
after offering his son as a burnt sacrifice, he would eventually be risen up, according
to Gods saying, when Abraham did not intend to abide to his wifes wish to send the
bondmaid and her son away: In Isaac your seed shall be called (Gen. 21:12)... That
is why, as the father was holding fast, since the beginning, to the promise of what is to
be realized through that son, whom God commanded to be slain, he never doubted
that he, whom he was never hoping for, would be risen up after being offered as a
burnt offering1.] In other words, Abraham realized the difference between offering his
son as a sacrifice, and the human sacrifices that were offered to the idols. He believed
1
that God, who gave him Isaac, from Sarahs womb that was like stones, and counted
his birth to be like rising from the dead, is capable of raising him after offering him as
a burnt offering. But the pagans were offering their firstborns to please their bloodthirsty idols; offering them without hope.
Finally, Abraham was commanded to offer his son as a burnt offering on the
land of Moriah, on one of the mountains that God would tell him. Some believe that
the mountain on which Abraham built the altar to offer his son, was the threshing
floor of Araunah the Jebusite (2 Samuel 24:24; 1 Chronicles 21:24); namely on the
location where the temple was built, where sacrifices were continually offered, in
anticipation of the unique sacrifice of the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. In the
Samaritan tradition, the land of Moriah, is located within the region of Mount Gerzim,
north of Jerusalem. Fr. Caesarius of Arles says that Jerome, the Priest, confirmed
during his encounters with Jewish elders, that the Lord Christ was crucified on the
same location, where Isaac was to be offered as a burnt sacrifice1.
As to the word Moriah, it means God is seeing, or setting, as God set the
ram for the burnt offering; and probably also means God is instructing, as He
instructed us on the practical love through the sacrifice of His Only-Begotten Son.
Ser. 83:5.
In 1 Tim hom 14.
3
Duties of the Clergy 1:17.
2
prophecies of the Old Testament, before being carried by the Lord Christ, then lifted
up on it as a burnt offering! God revealed the mystery of the cross in various ways, but
the eyes of many were blinded to behold it.
Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off
(Gen 22: 4). Abraham did not go for just one or two days, but for three days, before
seeing the place from afar off. And as said by Origen, that the third day refers to the
resurrection of the Lord Christ, as though Abraham had entered with the Lord into the
tomb, after sharing His passions, until the light of His resurrection shone on the dawn
of Sunday (the third day), when he lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. His
eyes were previously relatively lowered down and humbled; the enemy probably
fought and tempted him by thoughts of Sarah, whom he left back in the tent unaware
of his departure nor intentions; and probably also by his emotions toward his beloved
son. Nevertheless, he did not stop his walking for three days; as though he is like the
children of Israel, who were commanded by God to go three days journey into the
desert and sacrifice to the Lord (Exodus 5:3); as no sacrifice is to be accepted outside
the circle of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, on the third day,
Abraham, by some way or another, saw the sign of the resurrection, so he lifted his
eyes and saw the place afar off. What is that place, but the Lord Christ Himself, in
whom Abraham sees his son Isaac, raised from the dead, with and also by Him!
We have already spoken of the mystery of the three days1, through which we
enjoy, not the sacrifice of Isaac, but that of Christ the Lord risen from the dead. St.
Clement of Alexandria believes that these three days, that are proper for us to go
through, in order to see the place afar off, are nothing but: looking forward to good
things, good desires of the soul, and its comprehension of spiritual things. It is as
though the soul is not able to behold the mystery of the sacrifice of the cross, unless it
looks to the good things, lusts for them, and understands them. The One to help
opening the eyes to behold these mysteries is the Lord Christ Himself, the Teacher,
raised from the dead2.]
Thus, amid the temptation, and the pressures of pains and worries, Abrahams
soul got comforted by the opening of his inner insight, on the third day, to behold the
mystery of the Crucified, risen from the dead; then he rejoiced to see the day of the
Lord (John 8:56). The furnace of temptation was transformed into heavenly dew,
through the revelation of the crucified Christ risen from the dead, before the insight of
Abraham, the Patriarch.
Abraham said to his young men, Stay here with the donkey, the lad and I will
go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you (Gen. 22:5)
Fr. Caesarius says: [The two young men whom Abraham ordered to stay with
the donkey, refer to the Jewish people, who could not go up to the place of the
sacrifice, having rejected faith in Christ. The donkey refers to the Jewish Synagogue,
and the ram, caught in a thicket by its horns, probably refers to the Lord; as Christ was
caught in the thicket by horns, as He was raised and nailed on the cross3.]
The two young men saw Isaac, and the wood being split by Abraham, yet they
could not set forth to where Isaac was to be offered as a sacrifice, as though they are
the Jewish people, who saw the Lord according to the flesh, and saw the cross, yet
were not able to realize its power. And as the apostle said: We preach Christ
. 1
2
3
Stromata 5:11.
Ser. 84:3.
crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, because the
foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men
(1 Corinthians 1:23, 25).
The two young men stayed with the donkey, and did not set forth with
Abraham and Isaac to behold the mystery of God; that is how everyone who is bound
to the earthly thought, and live on account of his belly and lusts of his body, would be
as though staying with the donkey, unable to set forth to know the spiritual mystery of
God, that raises him to the heavenly.
So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son,
and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together (Gen.
22:6).
Isaac was a young man, probably 25 years old, so Abraham laid the wood on
him; then the two of them went to the place revealed by God. And as said by Fr.
Caesarius: [When Isaac carried the wood of the burnt offering, he was a symbol of
the Lord Christ who carried the cross to the place of His passion. This mystery was
previously proclaimed by the prophets, as for example... and the government will be
upon His shoulder (Isaiah 9:6). The government of Christ was upon His shoulder,
carrying the cross in an amazing humility. It is not unfitting to refer to the cross as
Christs government, as by it He had overcome the devil, and called the whole world
to know Christ and to enjoy His grace1.] St. Augustine says: [Isaac carried the wood
of his burnt offering to the place he would be sacrificed, as Christ carried His cross2.]
As to saying: The two of them went together, this refers to the fact that this
sacrifice is that of Abraham as well as of Isaac. Abraham offered his only-begotten
son through exalted love; while the son offered himself through complete obedience;
so the sacrifice was counted as from both of them together. On a similar level, we say
that the sacrifice of the Lord Christ is that of God the Father, who offered His Son for
our redemption; and it is the sacrifice of the Son, who obeyed even to death, death of
the cross... This is the sacrifice of love, offered by God the Father, in His Son, the
Only-Begotten. That is confirmed by Christ the Lord Himself saying: For God so
loved the world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). And the apostle Paul also
says: He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall
He not with Him also freely give us all things?! (Romans 8:32). And as the Lord
Christ, in His crucifixion, offered the sacrifice of God the Father in His Son, He
likewise offered His own sacrifice, as it is said: Who loved me and gave Himself for
me (Galatians 2:20); As Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma (Ephesians 5:2); and
Just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25).
If saying, The two of them went together, refers to God the Father and God
the Son, setting forth together to offer the sacrifice of the cross: the Father offering it
through His man-loving will, and the Son through His practical obedience; this phrase
also refers to God and the Church setting forth together toward the cross: God
proclaims His love for mankind, by offering His Son as redemption for the sake of
humanity; and the Church proclaims her love for God the Father, through her
delivered Head; thus God the Father smells in the sacrifice of the cross, an aroma of
pleasure; that is the sacrifice of the Church that also gives her life through her union
1
2
In Gen. hom 8.
On Belief of Resur. 2:98.
3
Ep. 66:7.
4
On Ps. 44.
2
sacrifice; as in it, God was reconciled with man, and we got the right to see Him as
children who have a place in the bosom of God the Father. Through the sacrifice, the
Holy Spirit will lift us up, and set forth with us toward the divine bosom, to enjoy a
divine vision, not on a level of worldly insight, but beholding the union with God and
eternally enjoying the fellowship of His glories. Thus, the altar in the Church of the
New Testament has come to represent heaven itself, the place where God encounters
man in the slain Son.
encounter with the Lord Christ, the buried and resurrected from the dead, to live all
his days by the Holy Spirit, enjoying that life, as though dwelling in Beersheba with
Abraham, namely in the waters of baptism.
When we are captivated by sin, we sit down as though by the rivers of
Babylon, to weep as we remember Zion, with our tongues, we are not able to sing the
songs and praises of Zion (Psalm 137). But, having received faith in the sacrifice of
the true Isaac, and having enjoyed the new divine promise, we are going to dwell in
Beersheba by the waters of baptism, together with our young men, to praise the Lord
with our hearts as well as with our tongues.
The two young men, finally setting forth to Beersheba, together with Abraham
and Isaac, probably refer to the return of the Jews, at the end of times, to the belief in
Christ the Lord, Whose sacrifice they could not understand before, to approach, at the
end of times the waters of baptism, and to accept Him Whom they have denied.
10
CHAPTER 23
1-2.
3-20.
Lord Christ Himself, who could not help weeping as he saw the tears of Mary and
Martha when their brother Lazarus died; that the Jews said: See how He loved him!
(John 11:35-36). The epistles of the apostle Paul came loaded with holy human
emotions: we see him several times recalling how his disciple Timothy wept for the
departure or imprisonment of his mentor (2 Timothy 1:3-4).
1
2
CHAPTER 24
In Ioan tr 43:16.
Ser. 85.3.
(Gen. 24:62). Christ would never encounter the Church; nor the Church would
encounter Christ, except by the secret of baptism1.]
Origen sees in the well, a reference to the Scripture, where the soul encounters
its Groom, saying: [Rebecca used to go every day to the well to draw water; and there
she encountered Abrahams servant, and got to marry Isaac... Learn to come every day
to the well of the Scripture to draw continuously the water of the Holy Spirit2.] And he
also says: [Do you wish to get engaged to Christ? He sends to you His servant namely His inspired word, without which you can never gain Him, nor get married to
Him3.]
Getting back to Abrahams servant, we find him like his master, trusting that
God would ordain everything; So, as he came to the well, he prayed, surrendering
himself into Gods hands; Then after everything was settled, he again, prayed and
thanked God for the success of his mission (Gen. 24:48). This man, as I said, refers to
the Holy Spirit, that descended upon the Church at the fulfillment of time, to sanctify
it as a holy bride for the Lord Christ. Some look at that man as a symbol of the
apostles, who came to preach among the Gentiles, to offer them as a bride to the Lord,
by the Holy Spirit working in them.
Ser. 85.4.
In Gen. hom 10:2.
3
In Gen. hom 10:2.
4
Strongs Dictionary of the Hebrew.
5
Strom 4:26.
2
receiving the work of God through his ministers, her senses become heavenly, and so
also her hands, to sense nothing but divine things, and to do nothing but what are
related to the kingdom of God.
Fr. Caesarius says: [The golden nose-ring refers to the divine words, and the
golden bracelets, to the good deeds, as works are referred to hands. Let us, brethren,
see how Christ presented these gifts to the Church!1]
Origen says: [Rebeccas beauty was only manifested when Abrahams servant
came to adorn her. Her hands are not to be adorned except by what Isaac sends her.
She wishes to enjoy the golden words and deeds. Yet, she could not enjoy them, nor
be worthy of them, unless she comes to draw water from the well. You, who are
reluctant to come to the well, or to enjoy the golden words of the prophets, how could
you carry the adornments of the teachings and the beauty of life?!2]
When the man asked her whether there is room in her fathers house for them
to lodge, she answered: We have both straw and food enough, and room to lodge,
Then the man bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord (Gen. 24:25-26).
There is nothing to glorify the Lord in our life, like having hearts wide enough
for people, to find food for them and for their camels, and room to lodge and get rest.
Let us say to the whole world: We have both straw and feed enough and room to
lodge. We do not seek anything from the world. We want instead to give fulfillment
and rest to all. What Rebecca, as a representative of the Church of the New Testament,
was, likewise, it was practiced by the apostle Paul as one of its members, saying: O
Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open (2 Corinthians
6:11).
4- IN REBECCAS HOUSE
As Laban saw his sister Rebecca, adorned with the nose-ring and the two
bracelets, and heard what happened to her, he hastened to the man to say: Come in, O
blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a
place for the camels (Gen. 24:31).
As the man came to the house, and he unloaded the camels, and provided straw
and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were
with him, and food was set before him to eat, he said: I will not eat until I have told
about my errand.
He began to talk about how the Lord has greatly blessed his master Abraham.
How Sarah, his masters wife bore a son to him in his old age. How his master
commanded him concerning the marriage of his son Isaac. And how God worked with
him when he came to the well and encountered Rebecca. Then, he ended his talk by
saying: Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master tell me. And if not, tell
me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left (Gen. 24:49).
Here, we are amazed before the work of God. It was not only Rebecca, but also
her brother Laban who were characterized by tenderness and generosity! He calls
Abrahams servant Blessed of the Lord, and insists on not leaving him outside,
offering him a place in his heart before his house! It is as though God set that amazing
spiritual atmosphere, amid a pagan community, filled with defilement and denials; as
though God set it for the sake of Abraham, the Patriarch, to put his heart at ease, as far
as his son Isaac is concerned; or as though God was preparing Rebecca as a spiritual
wife for Isaac, worthy of motherhood to the whole people of God! Amid the pitch
1
2
Ser. 85:3.
In Gen. hom 10:4.
darkness of that city, and of the whole region, God was preparing a girl to such an
exalted role!
We should not also disregard the role played by the chief servant of Abrahams
house. When he saw how God gave him success by the well, and now, as he was
entering the house, he feared that the niceties of hospitality might distract his attention
from his mission; that is why he insisted on not eating until he had told, about Gods
deeds, and had the familys word concerning his errand; or else to tell him, that he
may turn to the right hand or to the left. He, having been a symbol of the Holy Spirit,
who works in the world to bring on the Church and bride of Christ, always acts
according to a well-defined divine goal, or, having been a symbol of the apostles and
disciples, preaching the Holy Spirit, to gain souls to fellowship in the body of Christ,
His holy bride, do not preoccupy themselves with the human niceties of hospitality,
but seek to realize Gods goal in them. That is why the Lord Christ commended them,
saying, Do not go from house to house (Luke 10:7), and, Greet no one along the
road (Luke 10:4).
Ser. 85:5.
CHAPTER 25
1-6.
7-11.
12-18.
19-26.
27-34.
fragrance of the Lord Christ, after the Jews (Sarah) lost their life through their denial of
faith in the Lord Christ, the Savior of the world.
you who never separates himself from the well of vision: the apostle Paul, who says, We
all... behold... the glory of our Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). You also, if you continually
get into the depth of the vision, seek what is for your benefit, and persistently meditate in
it. You will definitely get the Lords blessing, and will dwell at the well of vision. Jesus
will encounter you on the road, to make you say: Did not our heart burn within us while
He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?! (Luke 24:32).
God cares for those who meditate in His Law day and night1.]
In Gen. 11:3.
Ser. 86:2.
3
In Gen. hom 12:2.
2
The Lord said to her: Two nations are in your womb, two people shall be
separated from your body. One people shall be stronger than the other, and the older
shall serve the younger (Gen. 25:23).
By that, the Lord revealed to her the mystery of that struggle, as she carried inside
her two peoples, one would originate from the younger child Jacob - yet would become
more superior spiritually, and a master to his brother. The secret behind that superiority,
was receiving the promise of God, and enjoying the divine blessing; Out of him prophets
will come, and of his descendants the Word of God will incarnate.
The older was carnally the firstborn, yet because of the corruption of his heart, he
would lose his firstborn status and his blessing. The younger, because of his strife and
spiritual longing, would, through faith, enjoy the spiritual birthright, and the blessing.
Some Church Fathers see in that divine phrase a reference to the Church of the
New Testament, that, if compared to the Jews, as far as knowledge of God is concerned,
is considered the younger, as it came to know Him at the end of times, yet it turned out to
become spiritually stronger, confiscated the birthright of the Spirit, and took away the
prophecies, the covenants, the divine promises, and the heavenly laws to her childrens
account. And as Fr. Caesarius says: [The older and more ancient people are the Jews,
who now serve the younger people, namely the Christians; having carried for them the
divine law in the world to teach the nations1.] St. Augustine says: [You are Jacob, the
younger people, who is served by the older people2.] [This is now realized, brethren, as
the Jews are serving us as carriers of our briefcase. We study, while they carry our
Scriptures for us3.]
Origen presents to us the same line of thought, beside another symbolic
interpretation that touches our inner life; seeing every soul as though a Rebecca,
carrying deep inside her two peoples: A people of virtues struggling another of evils,
saying: [As from out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies (Matthew 15:19); as well as
idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,
dissensions, heresies (Galatians 5:20). There you are! You see how huge are the wicked
people in us. Yet we are qualified to utter together with the saints: So we have been in
your sight, O Lord. We have been with child, we have been in pain. We have, as it were,
brought forth wind. We have not accomplished any deliverance on earth (Isaiah 26:1718). There is also another people in us, a spiritual generation, As the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (Galatians 5:22); It is a
small people, compared to the other one. The wicked are always far more numerous than
the righteous; virtue is more than evil. Yet, if we become analogue to Rebecca, and we
have Isaac, namely the Word of God, (our Groom), a people would be stronger than
another, and the older would serve the younger; the flesh would serve the Spirit; and evil
would retreat before virtue4.]
We go back to Rebecca: When her days were fulfilled, for her to give birth,
indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy
1
Ser. 86:3.
On Ps. 81.
3
On Ps. 41.
4
In Gen. hom 12:3.
2
garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his
hand took hold of Esaus heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old
when she bore them (Gen. 25:25-26).
The first was called Esau, meaning hairy or rough, as his body was covered with
hair; while the second was called Jacob, as his hand was taking hold of his brothers heel;
He remained, all his life chasing him, to take away from him the birthright and the
blessing.
These two children were symbols for the carnal and the spiritual man: the first was
hairy, a reference to bond with the flesh; also called Edom, a word derived from the
Arabic word for blood, as he was red in color. He lived as a violent hunter, fond of
shedding blood, a character inherited by his descendants the Edomites. Jacob, on the
other hand was a symbol of the spiritual man, who chase others for the sake of acquiring
eternities. He was, as described by St. Jerome, [a wrestler and a striver for spirituals1.]
Esau, man of the wilderness, a skillful hunter, while Jacob, was a mild man,
dwelling in tents (Gen. 25:27). Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebecca
found in Jacob, a meek man with whom she was more comfortable.
CHAPTERS 21-27
GODS DEALINGS WITH ISAAC
1
2
On Ps. hom 7.
In Ioan. tr 73:1.
If God had been apparent in Abrahams life as the father of believers, and in
Sarahs life as their mother, their son Isaac inherited that legacy, as he carried in his heart
the faith of his parents, as a living tradition, that he lived all his days, then delivered it to
his son Jacob (Israel).
In our studies of the previous chapters, we realized the dealings of God with Isaac,
who was the fruit of a divine promise:
1- Isaac, the son of promise, as the source of his parents joy
(Gen. 21).
2- Isaac, the son of obedience, a burnt offering to God
(Gen. 22).
3- God chooses Rebecca a sanctified wife and comfort for Isaac (Gen. 23).
4- Rebecca gives birth to Esau and Jacob (Two nations)
(Gen. 25).
5- Isaac sojourns as a stranger in Gerar, and re-digs wells of water
(Gen.
26).
6- Jacob supplants the blessing of his father Isaac
(Gen. 27).
CHAPTER 26
men of the place should kill him for Rebecca, because she was beautiful to behold, he
claimed that she was his sister. But this time, Abimalech, who was most probably
another one than Abimalech of Abrahams days-as we said, (Abimalech) was a title of
the kings of Gerar, and not a name-looked through a window, and saw, and there was
Isaac showing endearment to Rebecca his wife. So he called Isaac and nobly rebuked
him, then charged all his people, saying, He who touches this man or his wife shall
surely be put to death (Gen. 26:11). The Scripture in being keen on revealing the
weaknesses of such righteous people, like Abraham and Isaac, means to warn us
against every weakness or sin, and to persuade us not to judge anyone. Obviously
every believer, whatever his spiritual status be, has his weaknesses. On the other side,
it shows the good points, even in pagans, like Abimelech, who feared lest one of his
people would fall into sin with Isaacs wife, and would have brought guilt on the
whole people (Gen. 26:10). That would teach us not to despise anyone, even if he is a
pagan.
other word, through the barley, Isaac grew greater and appeared richer, by our
acquiring the Law, after removing its straw, namely, its literality, and entering into its
spirit and depths1.
Origen2 has another comment on the barley loaves that revealed the greatness
and riches of Isaac; If the undivided loaves have not fulfilled anybody, yet, when he
divided them and ordered them to be distributed among the multitude, thousands of
them were fulfilled, and fragments remained. So, as we present the words of the
Scripture to the whole world, after removing the letter from them, to let them enjoy
their depths, all will be fulfilled, and much will remain to be gathered up, so that
nothing is lost (John 6:12).
Before that greatness and riches, that came from sowing the barley, the enemy
grew envious, and stopped up all the wells dug in the days of Abraham, and filled
them with dirt. Abimelech said unto Isaac go away from us; for you are much
mightier than we (Gen. 26:16).
Origen comments on how Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had
dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines have stopped them up after
the death of Abraham (Gen. 26:18), saying: [While the Philistine despised the water
and loved the land, we see Isaac, on the other hand, loving the water, digging again the
old wells, and new ones as well. Let us contemplate in Isaac, who had given Himself
for us (Ephesians 5:2). He (hidden in the Person of Christ) came to the valley of
Gerar, meaning the wall (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus Christ came to break down the wall
of division, namely the sin that divides us from God; that separates us from spiritual
virtues; to make both one (Ephesians 2:4); carrying the lost sheep on His shoulders
over the mountains, to join them to the ninety-nine that were not lost (Luke 15:6;
Matthew 28:12). This Isaac, our Savior, as He comes to the valley of Gerar, He wishes
first to dig again the wells of water, that were dug in the time of His father; namely, to
reveal the wells of the Law and the prophets, that were stopped up by the Philistines...
Who are they, who fill the wells with dirt? They are actually those who present the
Law with an earthly, carnal way of thinking, getting away from the mysterious
spiritual riches. They did not drink, and hindered others from drinking. Hear what
Isaac, our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ says in the Gospel: Woe to you lawyers! For
you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in, yourselves, and those
who were entering in, you hindered (Luke 11:52)3.]
The Lord Christ dug, by His ministers the ancient wells, as he revealed the
secrets of the law and the proclamations of the prophets, giving us deep spiritual
concepts, that were corrupted by lovers of the killing letter. The Master did not stop at
that, but dug for us, by His apostles and disciples, new wells, despite the opposition of
the evil one, who tries to stop up every spiritual well. Origen says: [Isaac and his
servants dug new wells. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, Jude, and the
apostle Paul, dug the new wells of the New Testament, despite the opposition of those
who set their mind on earthly things (Philippians 3: 19)4.]
The Scripture tells us of the digging of three wells. The first one was called by
Isaacs servants Esek, because the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with them over it.
The second well, they called Sitneh, for the same reason. And the third one they
1
dug, they called Rehoboth, namely roomy and spacious, because they did not
quarrel over it. It is in the region known today as valley of Raheba, located 19 miles
south-west of Beersheba. Origen sees in that third well a reference to faith in the
secret of the Holy Trinity, in which the kingdom of heaven was proclaimed to
embrace the whole world, saying: [After that, Isaac dug a third well he called
Rehoboth, saying, The Lord has made room for us and we shall be fruitful in the
land (Gen. 26:22). Indeed, Isaacs name became great in the whole world, as he
filled us with the knowledge of the Holy Trinity. Previously, God was only known in
Judah, and in Israel (Psalm 76:1). But now Their line has gone out through all the
earth, and their word to the end of the world (Psalm 19:4). The servants of Isaac
covered all the world, and dug the wells, revealing the material of life to all; as is
commanded by the Lord: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit
(Matthew 28:19); as The earth is the Lords, and all its fullness (Psalm 24:1)1.]
and the ethical and behaviorist philosophy (Phichol). These three branches, despite
their drawbacks, yet, if sanctified, they would submit to faith, quoting: We have
certainly seen that the Lord is with you... Let there now be an oath between us... and
let us make a covenant with you.
Origen also sees in these three strangers, who came to make a covenant and
reconciliation with Isaac, a symbol of the three wise men who came from the East to
the newborn Jesus, saying: We have seen His star in the East and have come to
worship Him (Matthew 2:2).
The feast that Isaac made for them, and the reconciliation he offered them,
refer to the faith, wide enough to absorb every philosophy and every thought on
Christs account; It likewise refers to Christ receiving the wise men, as a symbol of
the Church of the Gentiles. His hospitality to the three men, probably refers to that of
the Lord to all nations and peoples, descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, namely
to all humanity.
CHAPTER 27
behalf, although not his sins, as He is Holy One. The food that he presented is the
unique sacrifice that brings pleasure to the Fathers heart, through which the Church
was granted His blessing, while Esau (the Jews) got the curse because of his denial.
Jacobs escape to Haran out of his brothers face was a symbol of the setting forth of
faith to strangers, namely the Gentiles, having been opposed by the Jews.
Through this concept of the Fathers, we can comprehend the true mystery of
the call to Esau to get the blessing, to be violated by Jacob, through a plot by his
mother Rebecca.
him and said, Surely the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord
had blessed. Therefore, may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the
earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let people serve you, and nations bow down to
you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mothers sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you; and blessed be those who bless you (Gen.
26:26-29).
Isaac ate and drank wine and asked his son to approach and kiss him the kiss
of love and respect, to get the fatherly blessing, through the abundance of fulfillment
in Isaacs life, and the good reputation he carried all his days.
He smelled his clothes, as Esaus valuable clothes were in the midst of delicate
fragrance that stimulated in him the smell of the fields with their delightful flowers
and fruits. So he began his blessing by saying: The smell of my son is like the smell of
a field which the Lord had blessed, praying God to give him of the dew of heaven,
that transforms the barren land into a Paradise, of the fatness of the earth, namely its
fertility, and plenty of grain and wine, a sign of fulfillment and joy. He prayed for him
as well, to let nations be subjected to him, and his brethren to bow down before him.
Here, St. Irenaeus says that we should interpret this blessing literally, but accept the
symbols spiritually, that are realized through the blessings of the New Testament. He
explains this blessing as such:
[If somebody does not understand these things, as referring to the designated
kingdom (the Messianic), he will fall into contradiction as did the Jews, who were
utterly confused: It was not just, that the nations have not served Jacob during his life;
but he, himself, after receiving the blessing, left his home, and served his uncle Laban
the Syrian, for the duration of 20 years (Gen. 31:41). Not only he did not become a
master to his brother, but he bent and bowed before Esau, his brother, upon his return,
from Mesopotamia, to his fathers house, presenting him with many gifts (Gen. 33:3).
Add to all this the manner in which he inherited plenty of grain and wine here, he who
immigrated to Egypt because of the famine that befell the land where he dwelt; and
submitted himself to Pharaoh who ruled Egypt at that time?!1] Therefore, we should
not take that blessing on a literal basis; as it was spiritually realized by the coming of
Christ the Lord, when Jacob - namely, the Church enjoyed the spiritual kingdom.
According to St. Augustine, [The blessing of Jacob is the proclamation of Christ to
all nations, which is realized now... Isaac is the Law and the prophecy. Even through
the mouth of the Jews, the blessing of Christ was proclaimed through the prophecy,
through someone who did not know or comprehend it. The world is like a field full of
the sweet fragrance of Christ; His blessing is like the dew of heaven, namely the rain
of divine words; The fertility of the earth is the gathering together of nations. His
blessing is the abundance of grain and wine, namely, the multitudes that partake of the
bread and wine, through the sacrament of His body and blood. Nations minister to
Him, and princes bow down before Him. He is the Master of His brethren, for He
reigns over the Jews. The children of the Father worship Him - those who are the sons
of Abraham according to faith, as He is, according to the flesh, a descendant of
Abraham. Cursed be everyone who curses Him, and blessed be those who bless
Him2.]
In our Lord Jesus Christ, each one of us becomes Jacob, who hears the blessing
from his fathers mouth as such: Surely, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field
1
2
which the Lord had blessed. May God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of
the earth, and plenty of grain and wine... Be master over your brethren. Indeed in
Jesus Christ, our heart becomes like a field, like a Paradise, that smells of fragrance
that brings pleasure to the heart of the Groom, to say: I have come to my garden, my
sister, my spouse. I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my
honeycomb with my honey. I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends! Drink,
yes, drink deeply O beloved ones! (Song 5:1). St. Gregory of Nyssa says in his
interpretation of the Book of the Song of Songs: [He comes to His garden... and
gathers its spices, mixed with the fruits of its virtues; He then talks about His
enjoyment of the feast, saying to His spouse: I have come to My garden, My sister,
My spouse1.]
What is the dew of heaven, but the sanctification of the soul, that becomes like
a heaven carrying the grace of God, as dew used by the Holy Spirit to irrigate plenty of
land; the fertility of the earth refers to the fertility of the body, sanctified by the Holy
Spirit, to have all its energies, feelings, and capabilities, working in harmony with the
dew of heaven. The abundance of grain reveals the fulfillment of the soul, by its
Groom, the bread coming down from heaven, and that of wine, refers to the
abundance of the inner spiritual joy. Finally, enjoyment of authority, refers to the
status of the spiritual man, as a king of authority, and a master who, if he says to this
thought to come, it would come; and if he says to that though to go, it would go. He
would have authority by the Lord over his thoughts, as well as over his senses and his
depths!
Ser. 10.
action a kind of wisdom, her natural motherly instincts prevailed, in order to spare
Esau from anger, and avoid missing him together with his brother Jacob, he said: [The
good counsels prevail over the natural feelings1.]
CHAPTERS 25-50
GODS DEALINGS WITH JACOB
1. God presence had been manifested in the life of Abraham and Sarah. And their
son Isaac received Gods blessings to them, and enjoyed their hope in salvation.
The Lord Himself came to Isaac, to confirm His promises to his father Abraham...
Now Jacob receives, in his turn, the blessings of his parents Isaac and Rebecca,
namely Gods blessing to them, to live, carrying on their faith, and enjoying their
hope, striving all the days of his sojourn on earth for the sake of the Lord.
1- Jacob the wrestler in his mothers womb
(Gen. 25).
2- Jacob supplants his fathers blessing
(Gen. 27).
3- Jacob and the open heaven
(Gen. 28).
4- Jacob labors for his uncle Laban
(Gen. 29-30).
5- God blesses Jacobs uncle
(Gen. 31).
6- Jacob wrestles with the Angel
(Gen. 32).
7- Jacob overcomes Esau with love
(Gen. 33).
8- Shechem violates Dinah, Jacobs daughter
(Gen. 34).
9- Jacob returns to Bethel
(Gen. 35).
10- Jacob and his beloved son Joseph
(Gen. 37-50).
CHAPTER 28
1-5.
6-9.
10-15.
16-22.
under his head! Amid affliction and deprivation, there comes God to respond to any
need, and to give in much more abundance than we ask for. And as St. Jerome says:
[The stone under Jacobs head is Christ, as he, who never had a stone under his head,
have one now, at the time he fled before his oppressor. When he was in his fathers
house, comfortable according to the flesh, he did not enjoy such a stone under his
head. He forsook his home, and became poor and lonely, with nothing in his
possession except a cane, to find in the same evening a stone to put under his head;
and to find comfort through a vision he saw1.]
If the stone is the Lord Christ, we would never enjoy heavenly visions and
exalted divine knowledge, as long as we live spoiled, leaning on others.
Fr. Caesarius of Arles2 believes that Jacob refers to Christ. And his father
Isaac, who commanded him to forsake the girls of the region, refers to God the Father
Who lets His Son forsake the Jewish Synagogue, to head far away to acquire the
Church of the Gentiles as His bride. That was realized when the two apostles, Paul
and Barnabas, said to the Jews: It was necessary that the word of God should be
spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of
everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46).
Fr. Caesarius also sees in that stone, a symbol of the Lord Christ, on whom
the Church is established, anointed for the work of salvation. While the Lord Christ
appeared on the top of the ladder, in the height of heaven, being the heavenly, there
He is under Jacobs head as the Cornerstone, on which the Church is set through His
incarnation. St. Augustine speaks of that stone saying: [In that stone, we comprehend
Christ... put at his head, being the Head of the Church (1 Corinthians 11:3); then that
stone was anointed, as Christ was so called, as He is the Anointed3.]
The ladder seen by Jacob is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which,
by faith we are lifted up to enjoy heaven itself; and through their denial, the Jews
descend down to Hades. And as St. Jerome says: [I believe that the cross of the
Savior is the ladder seen by Jacob. On that ladder, the angels were seen ascending and
descending. On that ladder, namely on the cross, the Jews were descending, and the
Gentiles were ascending4.] And he also says: [He saw angels ascending, as he saw
Paul ascending; and angels descending, as he saw Judas the traitor falling down. He
saw saints ascending from earth to heaven, as he saw also angels descending, namely
the devil and all his hosts, falling down from heaven5.]
As we behold the ladder, we should not find it difficult to ascend through it, as
the Lord is there on its top, to support us and to lift us up. And as St. Jerome says:
[Do not look at the steps, but lift your eyes up to where the Lord is6.]
St. Jerome encourages us to ascend without stopping, saying: [If one of us is
standing on the first step, let him not despair to reach the second one. And who stands
on the second, let him not lose hope of reaching the third. How happy have been the
martyrs, many of whom were worthy of ascending to the ultimate steps, to the top
itself. We, who are living in the world, cannot ascend all the steps, from the bottom to
the top, at one time. Yet, I wish we do not stop at the first step, but it is appropriate for
us to strive ascending higher steps1.] And he says as well: [The lesson we learn from
that ladder, is that it is not fit for the sinner to despair of salvation, nor for the
righteous to relax in peace concerning his virtue2.]
Fr. Caesarius interprets the timing of that vision on the way, by saying: [Why
did that vision happen on the way, before Jacob acquires his wife? Because our Lord,
the true Jacob, first bowed on the ladder, namely the cross, before shaping the Church
for Himself. He did that as He presented her with His blood, as a dowry for His
kingdom3.]
CHAPTER 29
JACOBS MARRIAGE
TO LEAH AND RACHEL
Having enjoyed Gods peace through the ladder, Jacob hastened to Padan
Aram; and there, he met Rachel by the well of water. And after laboring for his uncle
Laban, he married his two daughters Leah and Rachel.
1- An encounter with Rachel
2- Jacob serves his uncle Laban
3- His marriage to Leah and Rachel
4- The sons of Leah
1-14.
15-20.
21-30.
31-55.
through events, symbols, and prophecies, until the time was ripe, for the Church of the
New Testament, to come. Christ came forward and rolled the stone from the mouth of
the well, presenting the Church with His Holy divine sacraments. Rolling of the stone
also reminds us of what happened the day of His resurrection, when He was risen,
while the stone was still on the mouth of the grave; But He sent His angel to roll the
stone, in order to let us drink from the water of His resurrection, through being buried
with Him, and also risen with Him; As said by the apostle: Buried with Him in
baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God,
who raised Him from the dead (Colossians 2:12).
Jacob kissed Rachel, lifted up his voice and wept. What kiss was that, but that
of practical love, Jesus manifested when He cried out on the cross, as He delivered
Himself for the Churchs sake. That kiss that Rachel yearns for, saying: Let him kiss
me with the kisses of his mouth - for your love is better than wine (Songs 1:2). As to
telling her that he is a relative of her father, that refers to His revelation of His
relationship to us through the cross, as when we were reconciled, we became the sons
of His heavenly Father! We entered with the Lord Christ into a relationship through
the grace of His cross!
Jacob stayed with Laban for a month; as it was the custom at that time to give
hospitality for a maximum of one month, after which the guest is to be treated as one
of the family, sharing with them their regular daily life, including work, although he
earns a wage for it.
In short, Jacob encounter with Rachel, was on a level different from that with
the shepherds who were sitting by the well, in the following various aspects:
He encountered with her, after lifting up the shadows and symbols, to enter with
her into the perfection of truth.
He encountered with her by the water, to enter with her into a relationship
through the sacrament of Baptism; and to enjoy sonship to God.
He kissed her, lifted up his voice and wept; the kiss of the cross, namely, that of
practical love, in which He delivered Himself for her sake.
As He proclaimed Himself to her, she accepted Him, and entered with Him into
her fathers house.
He stayed for a month in her fathers house, a sign of our fellowship with Him
all days of our life, until He enters with us into His heavens.
Ep. 22:40.
Ser. 88:2.
children. From another aspect, Leah, represented the Jews, who were fertile, as far as
knowledge of God was concerned. From them came the patriarchs, the prophets, the
priesthood, etc. As to Rachel, she represented the Gentiles, who were before, barren,
with no spiritual fruit, because of paganism.
From Leah came Reuben, the firstborn. The Jews were, in the eyes of the Lord,
the firstborn, until the Gentiles took away from them the spiritual birthright. Also
from her, came Levi, (the Priests), and also Judah, as the Lord Christ came from the
Jews. Then she stopped bearing children, as the Jews rejected Christ the Lord, who
came of the tribe of Judah, there was a ceasing of spiritual bearing. It seems that Jacob
temporarily deserted her, before she resumed bearing, in probable reference to the
expected return of the Jews from their denial of Christ the Lord, and their anticipated
acceptance of Christian faith in the end of time.
CHAPTER 30
1-24.
25-43.
Mother
Leah
Leah
Leah
Leah
Belhah
Belhah
Son
Meaning
Reason of giving him this name
Son of vision. The Lord looked on my affliction (29:32)
Listener
The Lord heard that I am unloved (29:33)
Reuben
Simeon
Levi
Attached to me. My husband will become attached to me (29:34)
Judah confess
I will praise the Lord (29:35)
Dan
To judge
Naphtali Spacious
Zilpah
Gad
Zilpah
Consistent
Asher
Happy
Leah
Issachar
Reward
Leah
Zebulun Dwelling
Rachel
Joseph
To add
Rachel
Benjamin
the right
His mother called him Ben-Oni (son of my
hand of the pain) and his father called him
Lord
Benjamin(30:18)
The descendants of Jacob began with Reuben, the firstborn according to the
flesh, in whom it was proclaimed that God saw our affliction, so He granted us fruit;
and would keep granting us until we enjoy Benjamin; namely, through pain, we
should reach up to Gods right hand, in fellowship of eternal glory.
The following are comments of some Fathers on that issue:
(1) The succession here came according to age seniority; starting with the
firstborn according to the flesh, and ended with Benjamin, the youngest. But in the
Book of Revelation, it came in the following order: The sons of Leah, followed by
those of Rachel; then the sons of the two maids, without reference to their seniority. It
is as though God intended to confirm that the divine glories are not given according to
seniority of age, but according to spiritual growth, and to actual union with God1.
(2) Some Fathers noticed that the twelve sons had only one sister Dinah, by
Leah (Gen. 30:21); or, at least, there is no reference in the Scripture to any other. If
male sons refer to the fruit of the spirit, the daughter refers to that of the flesh.
Because of Dinah, the only daughter, Jacob and his sons got into a conflict with the
people of Shechem (Gen. 34); as though the flesh, if not controlled and sanctified,
would corrupt the peace of the spirit, and would let it lose its increasing fruit.
.-15 1
of our Lord Christ, raised from the dead after three days1; For God to grant him the
blessing, he should practice the life of resurrection, namely the new life in Jesus
Christ, of which Laban is deprived.
Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut
trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods; the
rods he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs
where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink.
And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the
rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters. But when the flocks were feeble,
he did not put them in; So the feebler were Labans and the stronger Jacobs.
Although he used such shrewdness, yet his true richness had been the blessing
of the Lord.
Let us get away from the love of the world, attach ourselves to the Lord, risen
from the dead, to be like Jacob, who set forth, a three days journey, to be aid of him:
Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male
servants, and camels and donkeys (Gen. 30: 43)
By the new life for us in Jesus Christ, we will have spiritual prosperity and
abundance, through the sanctification of our senses, emotions, capacities, and all our
energies, for the sake of His kingdom.
CHAPTER 31
RETURN TO CANAAN
If Jacob refers to Christ the Lord, He embraces the Church of the New
Testament (Rachel), with her children, and the Church of the Old Testament (Lea),
with her children, and carries all of them to the heavenly Canaan. But the pagan
Laban, representing the devil, does not accept this celestial procession, so he sets forth
with his hosts to hinder it, but completely fails.
1- Escape of Jacob
2- Laban pursues the procession
3- Laban (the devil) seeks what is his in us
4- Making a covenant
5- Departure of the two parties
121.
2225.
2642.
4354.
55.
1- ESCAPE OF JACOB
Labans sons felt that Jacob has taken away all that was their fathers, and
acquired all his wealth (Gen. 31:1), something that changed the countenance of Laban
toward Jacob. At that time The Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of your
fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you (Gen. 31:3).
Jacobs heart was surely attached to the land of Canaan, being the land
promised by God to Abraham and his descendants. He wanted to get married to
Rachel, then return to inherit. But 7 years have passed, followed by 7 years more, and
now, he is there for twenty years; he had to set forth from Haran; He had already
gotten the beloved wife, children, numerous sheep and cattle, besides servants and
maids. So How can he depart? The Lord spoke to him in the language of facts,
allowing for the change of attitude of Laban and his sons against him, in order to let
him feel his position as a stranger, and wish to depart. The Lord also spoke to him in a
vision in a dream, and ordered him to depart (Gen. 31:12-13). Jacob realized that what
he faces in his life, are not a matter of coincidence, but through divine ordainment, so
as to fulfill Gods will in him. If the behavior of Laban and his sons was through
jealousy and evil spirit, yet Jacob felt that all occurred at the right time. We learn from
this that everything in our lives are for the good, if we surrender our life in His hands;
something that was felt by the apostle Paul who says: All things work together for
good to those who love God (Romans 8:28).
So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Lea to the field, to his flock, so that
seeing the extent of his wealth, they would listen to his counsel, and set forth with him
together with their children. He revealed to them how the countenance of their father
became unfavorable toward him. He reminded them of how he, with all might had
served their father; yet he has deceived him and changed his wages many times,.and of
how the Lord has taken away the livestock of their father, and given them to him. And
finally, how the Lord commanded him to return to the land of his fathers, to which he
is committed to obey. It seems from his talk to them, that they were aware of the
dream he had, on his escape from the face of his brother, and how he anointed the
pillar, and made a vow (Gen. 31:13) It is as though, by his previous talks with his
wives, he had prepared their hearts and minds for what was to come, to respond to his
talk, saying: Whatever God has said to you, do it (Gen. 31:16).
We can say that the submission of Rachel and Lea to Jacob, and their position
against their father, have been a result of their realization of the continuous dealings of
God with their man, their understanding of his anticipation of Gods blessing and his
3
yearning to return, in order to enjoy His promise, and to fulfill his vow in Bethel. So
the last talk came to respond to an inner thought that filled their minds. In other
words, Jacob has succeeded in gaining his family on Gods account, and in preparing
their lives to submit with joy to Him.
Rachel and Lea felt that their father treated them as strangers; that instead of
giving them of what was his, he sold them for the services of their honest husband all
those years. So they encouraged Jacob to depart Then Jacob rose and set his sons
and his wives on camels, and he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions
which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan...
So he fled with all he had. He arose and crossed the river, and headed toward the
mountains of Gilead (Gen. 31:17-21).
If Jacob is the type of Christ the Lord, Who came to our land, as though to
Haran, and took us away from the ancient father (to those who once gave him the
chance to be so), namely from the devil - Laban, the Pagan -, He acquired us as His
bride, either if we were from the Gentiles as Rachel, or from the Jews as Lea.
Consequently, to carry us together with our children, namely, the fruits of the Spirit,
and our sheep, namely, the fruits of the sanctified flesh. Besides all that He acquired in
us, through sanctifying our senses, thoughts, capacities, and energies; to set forth with
us from our land, from Padan Aram to cross, not the River of Euphrates as Jacob did,
but the water of the Holy Baptism. Thus, heading, not toward Isaac, but toward the
bosom of God the Father, to be with Him in His heavens eternally! This is our new
Jacob, who came to us, and would never rest, until He sets forth with us to where His
heavenly glories are. He would carry us, yet, not against our will, but according to it,
as Rachel and Lea did with Jacob.
Let us likewise share the feelings of these two wives. Let us say as they once
said that their ancient father, representing the devil, has treated them as strangers, and
sold them, having confiscated their lives, freedom, and glories. And now, there the
devil is deceiving us to captivate us in his kingdom. Let us escape, together with
Jacob, away from his authority; and set forth by the Holy Spirit, crossing the water of
Baptism, to enter to our new Father, the Holy heavenly Father, to enjoy His
inheritance, instead of that of our perishable ancient father!
Ser. 88:4.
is trying his best to acquire every soul as a spoil for himself; he intends to shear its
wool on the account of his kingdom. He is abusing his followers! Rachel refers to the
Church of the Gentiles, who could steal away his idols from him, to destroy the idols
of her father, which she had worshipped for such a long time before the coming of the
Lord Christ. As to his unawareness of Jacobs flight, before the third day. This refers
to the inability of the evil one to recognize, truly, the secret of the saving work of
Christ the Lord, except by the resurrection of the Lord from the dead (on the third
day). The devil did not realize the triumph of Christ the Lord and His conquest on the
cross, until he knew that He is the Resurrection, the Grantor of life!
Realizing, on the third day that Jacob fled, Laban: took his brothers with him
and pursued him for seven days journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of
Gilead. But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him,
Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad (Gen. 31:23-24).
When the devil recognized our procession of triumph, having known Christ the
Lord, as the Grantor of resurrection, instead of retreating, he took his brothers with
him, and pursued us for seven days, as though the enemy uses every available means,
and everyone, to fight against the procession of triumph. And he would persist on
pursuing the individual for seven days, namely, he would fight against us along the
whole week with no rest. He would fight against us as long as we are still in the
world, as long as we are still in the body, he would never rest, in hope of gaining us
for his kingdom, and diverting us from the way of our salvation.
The war or the rivalry was not between Jacob and Laban. For it was not a
personal rivalry, but it was between the kingdom of God, and that of the devil. For this
reason, God Himself intervened in the proper time, and warned Laban against harming
His man Jacob.
Ser. 88:4.
Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, saying to him: What is my
trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me?... These twenty years I
have been with you, your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their
young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. That which was torn by beasts I
did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it; you required it from my hand, whether
stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was! In the day the drought consumed me,
and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from my eyes... ; and you have changed
my wages ten times (Gen. 31:38-41).
By that, Jacob proclaimed his honesty all along twenty years in Labans
service, presenting a living portrait, not just of the shepherd of sheep, but of every
man given the responsibility of caring for souls. How should he bear the drought of
the day and the frost of the night; so as not to let any soul of his flock be torn by
beasts, or any heart to be stolen?
I say that these words of Jacob shall remain rebuking every minister in Gods
vineyard. If sheep are so precious in Jacobs eyes, how much so would be every
human soul in ours?
Laban changed the wages of Jacob ten times, namely several times. Yet
Jacobs honesty did not change. Thus, it is fit for us, not to care for wages, whatever
they might be: material or dignity! Let us stay honest for the sake of salvation of all
souls. How beautiful are the words of St. John Chrysostom: [I am a father, filled
with compassion... Hear what the apostle Paul says: My little children for whom I
labor in birth (Galatians 4:19). As every mother screams at the time of her delivery,
so also I do1.]
4- MAKING A COVENANT
Laban wisely asked for a covenant to be made between him and Jacob, his sonin-law, so that none of them would harm the other. Jacob took a stone and set it as a
pillar; and they made a heap of stones, and they ate on the heap for the sake of
reconciliation. That heap of stones that would be a witness of the covenant they made
was called Jegar Sahadutha, in Syrian, by Laban, but Jacob called it Galeed, in
Hebrew. Both names meaning heap of testimony; and also called in Hebrew
Mizpah, meaning watch tower, as though God would be watching over them.
If Jacob and Laban have set a pillar and a heap of stones, as a covenant of
reconciliation, and ate there, as a sign of peace, in fact, they shared one bread as well
as one blood. That pillar refers to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, lifted up on the
Mount of Calvary, offering His body and blood as a sacrifice of love for our sake. The
Lord Christ reconciled us with His Father, in His body delivered for us, and offered as
exalted food of love, capable of lifting us up to a union with God the Father, through
abiding in Him! The cross would eternally remain, with the Lords holy body and
blood, a testimonial of truth to that reconciliation, and a sign of the new covenant that
we got, and we call it the New Testament (Matthew 26:28; Luke 22:20; 1
Corinthians 11:25). That covenant we accept and to it we commit ourselves, and as
said by the apostle Paul: Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be
thought worthy, who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the
covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of
grace? (Hebrew 10:29)2.
1
CHAPTER 32
PREPARING FOR
THE ENCOUNTER WITH ESAU
If Jacob got much confused, and feared his encounter with Esau, yet God
prepared his heart for that encounter by His appearance and warning to his uncle
Laban, to confirm to him that He is his Keeper and the Disposer of his life. And on his
way, God appeared, and allowed Jacob to wrestle with Him, to be granted a new
name, to be carried by the Church of the Old Testament along the ages.
1- Jacob with the angels of God
1-2.
2- Jacob sends messengers to his brother 3-8.
3- Jacob resorts to God, the God of his father
9-12.
4- Jacob sends a present to his brother
13-23.
5- Jacob wrestles with God
24-32.
wife; while the Lord Christ carried his cross to save the Church1.]
Finally, having related God to himself and to his family; and after reminding
Him of His divine promises, declaring his right in those promises, not because of
righteousness, but because of the abundant and exceeding riches of Gods love, and
after considering faith in the power of the cross (his staff), he finally asked Him to
deliver him!
May we present our problems, troubles and needs, but only after offering a
sacrifice of thanksgiving to God, and after enjoying an amiable talk with Him, and
bringing to light His amazing deeds with us!
Ser. 87:2.
by labor; as whatever we get after strife, we hold to it more strongly1.] And he also
says: [The man defeated the angel; yet the conqueror persists on holding the angel
until He blesses him. What a great mystery! The defeated blesses the conqueror! He
was defeated, because He chose that, to appear weak in His flesh form, although in
His greatness, He was strong; For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives
by the power of God (2 Corinthians 13:4)2.] What happened with Jacob, before his
encounter with Esau, to overcome him with love, refers to what the Lord Christ did,
coming as weak, carrying our nature, to occupy the last row, to be counted as a
trespasser, and to bear the disgrace of the cross; but, risen from the dead, He blesses
our nature, and renews it in Him!
St. Ambrose believes that what happened with Jacob concerning the socket of
his hip getting out of joint, refers to the fellowship of his passion with the Lord Christ,
who will incarnate through his seed, saying: [In his passion he acknowledges the heir
of his body, and by Him he would pre-identify the passion of his heir, through what
happened to the socket of his hip3.]
The struggle ended with the angel asking Jacob about his name, not that He
does not know it, but in order to change it to a new name fit for him as a struggler,
saying to him: Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have
struggled with God, and with men, and have prevailed (Gen. 32:28).
And as said by St. Clement of Alexandria: [The new name was presented to
him for the new people4], as though this gift was not granted to Jacob personally, but
to the whole people of God, as a sign of their spiritual strife.
Jacob called the name of the place Paniel, namely, Gods face, considering
himself fortunate to have seen God face to face, and his life is preserved with sunrise,
Jacob set forth to join his family, encouraged by these visions and that struggle.
On Ps. 148.
On Ps. 80.
3
On Belief of Resur 2:100.
4
Paedagogus 1:7.
2
CHAPTER 33
JACOBS ENCOUNTER WITH ESAU
If Jacob had prepared himself for his encounter with his brother Esau, through
prayers, offering gifts, and dividing his family into two companies, God, on His part,
prepare Esaus heart, by kindling it with brotherly emotions and longing to meet his
brother.
1- The encounter of the two brothers
2- Jacob in Succoth and Shechem
1-16.
17-20.
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
1-15.
16-20.
21-26.
27-29.
(5) As Jacob journeyed to Bethel, the neighboring peoples did not dare to
pursue him, as The terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them
(Gen. 35:5). The nations feeling the awe of God in the life of Jacob, dwelling in Gods
house, could not pursue him.
(6) As the procession of Jacob set forth toward Bethel, Deborah, Rebeccas
nurse, died, and was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it
was called Allon Bachuth (Gen. 35: 8). That, did not happen by coincidence, and
the Bible did not mention it without significance; God intended for Deborah,
Rebeccas nurse to be buried in Bethel under the terebinth, called later Allon
Bachuth, meaning the terebinth of weeping. If Bethel embraced the congregation of
believers in the Lord, who dwells in their midst, among those believers who fell
asleep, who have previously strived like a bee (Deborah), suckled many, and raised in
the Lord, as what Deborah did with Rebecca. In other words, in Gods house, all those
who strive, who are still on earth completing the days of their life, together with their
brothers who preceded them, are all one Church, one house of the Lord.
Jacob buried his mother Rebeccas nurse, whom she receives as a present from
her family. The day she was engaged (Gen. 24:59). Nurses had a great status and
respect that was close to the mothers. Some believe that Deborah died at the age of
one hundred and eighty years, brought by Jacob from his father Isaacs household in
Hebron. It seems that Jacob visited his father there more than once, and obtained his
permission to take Deborah, to have her blessings as the nurse of his mother, who,
probably died before returning from his sojourn with his uncle Laban.
It seems that everyone mourned her death, that the place of her burial was
called Allon Bachuth, below Bethel, namely at a low land in or close to Bethel.
(7) Having put away the foreign gods, buried them together with the earrings,
under the terebinth tree, as though under the cross, and set forth to Bethel, in pure
garments, namely pure body; the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around
them, and did not pursue the sons of Jacob. The death and burial of Deborah, there,
became a reference to a union of the holy congregation, on the level of both the living
and the dead. And now, Jacob enjoys a divine appearance, and a confirmation of the
renewal of his name, and the divine promises; the Holy Bible says: And God
appeared to Jacob again... and said to him, Your name shall not be called Jacob
anymore, but Israel shall be your name So he called his name Israel. Also God said
to him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of
nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which
I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this
land(Gen. 35:9-12).
In Bethel, namely, the holy Church, we encounter with God the Almighty
Elshdai, not only as the Almighty One, but also who grants us in Him the capability,
to live strong and capable, singing together with the apostle Paul, saying: I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). We encounter with
God the Almighty, the Grantor of spiritual strength, to make everything in us new, and
to carry a new name, not to be called Jacob anymore, but Israel, to be fruitful and
multiply, according to his promise, so that our capabilities, energies, and all our
feelings, would set forth by the Holy Spirit to carry the multiplying fruits of the Spirit
and become, in Gods eyes, a nation, even a company of nations, as our life becomes
transformed into spiritual energies without limit. And from our bodies, kings would
proceed; to possess the mind, as a king of authority over every thought, and the soul,
as a queen who controls with authority, all things pertaining to the body, with no
4
exception... Finally, God grants to us and to our descendants the land He gave to our
father Abraham and our father Isaac, namely, grants us the holy body (the land), as an
inheritance that pleases our heart, and not as opponent to the work of the Spirit of
God.
(8) Finally, Jacob dedicated the first house of God after the fall, as is said:
Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He (God) talked with him, a pillar of stone,
and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it (Gen. 35:14)
Jacob presented a pillar of stone, a drink offering, and oil, that were received
by God from the hands of Jacob, to make of that place a dwelling for him and His
angels, He Who, heaven and earth are not wide enough for him. He lovingly accepts
that place, as a sign of His dwelling in the midst of His people, attached to His
children, and entering with His love into their lives.
That pillar also refers to the Lord Christ, the Cornerstone, who, amid His
redeeming passion, proclaimed the drink offering, namely, that of joy for His
resurrection; and received the oil of anointment, being the Messiah, Savior of the
world; in whom alone, we enter to dwell in His Fathers bosom, as an eternal house
that embraces the whole Church in divine love.
After mentioning the sin of Reuben, the Holy Bible presented us with a list of
Jacobs twelve sons, of whom we have dealt before (Gen. 30).
4- DEATH OF ISAAC
Isaac breathed his last and died at the age of 180 years, and he joined his
people, old and fulfilled with days (Gen. 35:29).
Isaac presented numerous fruits during his time. Age is not to be counted in
years, but in how far pious life has been.
CHAPTER 36
1-3.
4-5.
6-8.
9-14.
15-19.
20-28.
29-30.
31-39.
40-43.
1- WIVES OF ESAU
The names of Esaus wives were previously mentioned in (Gen. 26:24, 35;
28:9). The reason for the differences between the list mentioned here, and the one
mentioned before, is that some of them carried more than one name, something that
was common among men and women, as for example, calling Esau by the name of
Edom, and Sarai, by the name of Sarah.
(1) Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite, was
most probably Judith, the daughter of Anah the Hivite, who was himself Beeri the
Hivite; that is because his father was a Hivite, and his mother was a Hittite; especially
that the tribes of the Hivites and the Hittites have been descended from Canaan (Gen.
10:15, 17), and were intermarried.
(2) Adah was herself Basmath the daughter of Elon the Hittite (Gen. 26:34).
(3) Basmath daughter of Ishmael, sister of Nebajoth, was called Mahalath(Gen.
28:9).
Some believe that the name Seir refers to Esau himself, having been hairy;
while others see it referring to a land of dense trees, that simulates a hairy body; others
still believe that it refers to Seir, one of the chiefs of the Hevites (Gen. 36:20), with
whose family Esau got related in marriage, having married Aholibamah, the daughter
of Zibeon; Esau went and took possession in that land.
6- SONS OF SEIR
Here, the seven sons of Seir the Hevite, and their grandchildren, are included.
7- CHIEFS OF SEIR
The seven sons of Seir were called chiefs, having been chiefs of tribes.
8- KINGS OF EDOM
Those kings were like the judges in Israel; their titles were not inherited, and
their authority was similar to a chief of tribe.
We have previously, in the introduction to this book, commented on the
phrase, Before any king reigned over the children of Israel (Gen. 36:31), by saying
that it does not mean that it was written at the time of the kings of Israel, but it was
written by the prophet Moses, who knew that kings will reign on Israel in eras to
come, according to Gods promise to the fathers, like His saying to Jacob: Kings
shall come from your body (Gen. 35:11).
CHAPTERS 37-50
GODS DEALINGS WITH JOSEPH
1. In our encounter with our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we saw how their
lives were marked by abundant dealings with God, so that, out of their bodies,
came the Church of the Old Testament, as a yeast that had to leaven the whole
dough. And now, as we encounter with Joseph, we have before us a portrait of our
Lord Jesus, having come as His symbol in several respects:
1- Joseph, the son and the slave
Gen. 37.
2- Joseph and the wife of Potiphar
Gen. 39.
3- Joseph, the prisoner
Gen. 40.
4- Joseph, the glorified
Gen. 41.
5- Josephs encounter with his brothers
Gen. 42.
6- The second encounter with Joseph
Gen. 43.
7- Calling Josephs brothers back
Gen. 44.
8- Joseph reveals his identity
Gen. 45.
9- Jacob blesses Joseph and his sons
Gen. 48.
CHAPTER 37
1-3.
4-11.
12-17.
18-30.
31-35.
36.
3: 17)1.]
If Joseph becomes a slave and a prisoner in the land of Egypt, because of his
brothers, to get into the kings court to have the chance to fulfill the needs of his
brothers; the Bible proclaimed that he was his fathers beloved son. I say that he is a
living portrait of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, although He, the Onlybegotten Son, came to our Egypt as a slave, and entered for our sake under judgment,
in order to lift us up to His heavenly palace. What I say of the Lord Christ, I say of
every true believer, as it is fit for him, first to enter into a true sonship to God, to be
the subject of His love, through abiding in Jesus Christ. By this sonship, we accept,
through love, to become slaves, and enter under judgment for the sake of our brothers,
in order to lift them up, together with us, by Jesus Christ, to taste the fellowship of His
glory, and to be fulfilled by the heavenly bread. That was expressed by the apostle
Paul, saying, For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all,
that I might win the more (1 Corinthians 9:19). In the water of Baptism, he enjoyed
freedom in Jesus Christ; that freedom full of love, has motivated him to become a
servant to all, that he might win the more, in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jacob having loved Joseph more than all his brothers, Jacob He made him a
tunic of many colors (Gen. 37:3). What is that colored tunic, but the Church, of many
nations, received by the Lord Christ, from His Fathers hands, as a price for His love
of humanity, and His entering into servitude for her sake?! This was confirmed by St.
Augustine and Origen; the colored tunic is the Church, attached to the Lord Christ, as
His tunic. In His transfiguration, His clothes became as white as the light (Matthew
17:2), as a reference to the Church, acquired by the Lord for Himself, and where He
dwelt, being the Sun of Righteousness who illuminate it. That tunic was refereed to by
the apostle Paul, saying of himself, Then last of all, he was seen by me also, as by
one born out of due time (1 Corinthians 15:7). That border of garment was touched
by the bleeding woman (namely, the nations defiled by pagan worship), to get healed
of her ailment. As to being colored, the apostle says: Now there are diversities of
gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord (1
Corinthians 12:4-5).
It is the one tunic, of many colors; if one of them is removed, it would lose its
beauty, as well as its durability. Thus, the Church proclaims its need for everyone of
its members, whatever his color, position, work, or capacities, would be.
In a comparison to Christ the Lord, Fr. Asterius of Amasea (in Asia Minor c.
400) says: [Josephs father made him a colored tunic; and it is said of Christ: My soul
shall be joyful in my God. For He has clothed me with the garment of salvation. He
has covered me with the robe of righteousness; as a bridegroom decks himself with
ornaments (Isaiah 61:10)2.]
Ser. 98:1.
On Ps. hom 19.
though he is representing the Lord Christ, who opens His heart to humanity, that
harbored animosity toward Him for no cause, delivering His life as a ransom even for
His crucifiers!
Joseph dreamt that sheaves in the field, stood all around and bowed down to
his sheaf; and also dreamt that the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bow down to him.
His brothers got the message that he was destined to reign over them, and that they are
to submit to him. Instead of heading to the voice of heaven, and opening their hearts to
him, they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words (Gen. 37:8), and
envied him (Gen. 37:11); as though they are like the wicked vinedressers, who,
when they saw the son,, they said among themselves, This is the heir, Come, let us
kill him and seize his inheritance (Matthew 21:38). The heaven proclaimed his glory,
for the wicked to grow more so. Yet the good Lord turned evil into goodness, and
transformed their wicked deeds into a way to consummate His divine plan.
His brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind (Gen.
37:11). Jacob comprehended that he is to submit to his son in his glory. Probably, the
matter then, represented to him, an incomprehensible secret; so he kept it in mind,
meditating quietly in Gods works and promises. So, men of God keep in mind and
heart Gods proclamations, and contemplate on His dealings, like what was said of the
Virgin St. Mary, But His mother kept all these things in her heart (Luke 2:51).
3- A MISSION OF LOVE
Josephs brothers went to feed their fathers flocks in Shechem; that most
probably included flocks that they confiscated after killing their owners, in their
revenge for what happened to their sister Dinah (Gen. 34). That is why Jacob sent
Joseph to see if it is well with his brothers and well with the flocks; fearing that some
tribes could have attacked them in revenge for the people of Shechem.
Joseph set forth in obedience to his fathers love for his sons, despite their
wicked ways (Gen. 37:2), and despite their hatred and envy for his beloved and loving
person; yet, it was not the obedience of fear like a slave, or of a servant anticipating
his wages, but it was the obedience of a son, who loves his father and his envious
brothers. He set forth from the Valley of Hebron to Shechem; and not finding them
there, he sought them, and went after them to Dothan.
Josephs mission represents that of the Only-begotten Son; and as said by Fr.
Caesarius of Arles: [Jacob sent his son to proclaim his worry for their safety; and
God the Father sent His Only-begotten Son, to visit mankind, who were weak with
sin, a lost flock. As Joseph sought his brothers, he wandered in the wilderness; and the
Lord Christ, as He sought mankind, He wandered in the world... Joseph sought his
brothers in Shechem, that means shoulder; as the sinners gave their backs to the
Righteous, and put their shoulders backwards1.]
Ser. 89.1.
down to eat a meal, they saw a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with
their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to
Egypt. So Judas counseled his brothers to sell Joseph as a slave to the Ishmaelites;
they listened to his counsel, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of
silver. When Reuben returned, and did not find Joseph in the pit, he tore his clothes,
and did not know what to do.
They could not bear to see him, even afar off. Although he came to them with
a mission of love, they grew more envious, because of Gods work with him, and His
proclamations to him. And as said by Abbot Piamon: [Joseph, their brother, was
incapable of decreasing sharpness of envy of his brothers, who sought his death,
although he did them no harm. It is obvious that envy is one of the worst of sins, and
most difficult to cure; it flares up by the same medications that can combat other
sins... What can you do to somebody who increases in transgression, the more your
mercy and humility get. He gets envious, not out of greed for some bribe he could
have, or some favor he could gain, but because of the success and happiness of
others1.]
What Josephs brothers did here, carried a symbol of what the Jews did to
Christ the Lord, in several respects:
a- Fr. Asterius of Amasea says: [Josephs brothers accumulated a heap of
bitter rebuke for their brother; as the Jews did to the Lord, saying, We are not born of
fornication (John 8:41)... Joseph was sent to his brothers, as a physician to visit
them; yet, in their eyes, he was like a conspiring enemy... Christ was sent to the world
as a compassionate Shepherd, only to be looked upon as a crucified robber2.]. Fr.
Caesarius says: [As Josephs brothers harbored envy, giving to the brotherly love,
their backs and not their faces; the Jews preferred envy over love, toward Him who
offered them salvation. Of people like these, the Psalms say: Let their eyes be
darkened, so that they do not see; and make their loins shake continually (Psalm
69:23)3.]
b- The matter did not stop at inner envy, but was translated into rebellion,
conspiracy, and treason. Fr. Caesarius says: {Joseph found his brothers in Dothan,
meaning rebellion, as those who wished to kill their brother, were truly in a great
rebellion. When they saw Joseph, they discussed his death; like what the Jews did to
the true Joseph, Christ the Lord, as they all had one decision: to crucify Him...
Josephs brothers stripped him of his colored tunic; and the Jews stripped Jesus of his
clothes before crucifying Him. Joseph, stripped of his tunic, was cast into a pit; and
Christ, whose body was mutilated, descended into Hades... Joseph was pulled up and
lifted out of the pit, and sold to the Ishmaelites (namely to the Gentiles); and Christ,
coming back from Hades, was bought by the Gentiles for the price of faith4.] So
Joseph was a symbol of the Lord Christ: conspired against, cast into a pit, stripped of
his tunic, and sold to the Gentiles.
c- As Judah counseled his brothers to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites, Judah,
likewise, sold the Lord Christ; the former was sold for twenty pieces of silver
(according to the Septuagint version, for twenty pieces of gold); while his Master was
sold for thirty pieces of silver. Fr. Caesarius comments on that, saying: [The servant
1
Cassian: 18:16.
On Ps. hom 19.
3
Ser. 89:1.
4
Ser. 89:1.
2
was sold for a price higher than that given for his Master. But, human calculations,
have surely deceived man in the Lords case; He who could never be evaluated1.]
d- Having cast their brother into the empty pit, they sat down to eat a meal
(Gen. 37:25); In the same way, having plotted to crucify Christ the Lord, the Jews sat
to eat the old Passover, as food to fulfill their bodies, and not their souls.
e- The camels of the Ishmaelites who bought Joseph, were bearing spices, a
kind of gum, extracted from trees of Astraaglus, used in medicine and for sticking
things; balm, a kind of fragrant oil, extracted by cutting the stem of a balm tree, and
used in medicine and embalming; and Myrrh, a kind of gum, extracted from a tree
by the name of Cistus Creticus, used in medicine. These goodies, carried by the
camels of the Ishmaelites, refer to the talents and capabilities of the Gentiles that they
presented as they believed in the true Joseph, to get sanctified and used on account of
His kingdom.
Ser. 93:4.
On Ps. hom 34.
3
Ep. 79.2.
2
Only-Begotten Son, who became a servant for our sake (Philippians 2:7). Fr.
Caesarius says: [Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Christ came down to the
world!... Joseph saved Egypt from famine, and Christ freed the world from the famine
to the word of God! If Joseph was not sold by his brothers, Egypt would not have been
saved, and indeed, if the Jews have not crucified Christ, the world would have
perished.]
He was sold to Potiphar, whose name means referred to Ra the god of the
sun; He was the captain of the guard for Pharaoh, who had the authority to condemn
criminals, and to supervise the prisons (Gen. 37:36; 39:1, 20).
CHAPTER 38
1-5.
6-11.
12-26.
27-30.
1- SONS OF JUDAH
It came to pass at that time that Judas departed from his brothers, and visited
a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. And Judas saw there a daughter of a
certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her, so
she conceived and bore him a son, and he called him Er (Gen. 38:1-3)
Judas separated himself from his brothers and joined Hirah the Adullamite,
who was probably his friend; and there he married a daughter of a Canaanite whose
name was Shua, meaning rich; as though he represents the Jewish nation that denied
the true Joseph, and set forth, through its love for the world riches, to marry the pagan
girl, namely the unbelief
The daughter of Shua conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name
Onan; and conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at
Chezib, meaning a liar when she bore him; as the nation carries false fruits through
its attachment to denial.
Adullam, to which Hhrah father of Shua, was one of the great cities of Canaan,
meaning a resort or refuge; very close to the famous cave of David in the valley of
Elah, that extends from Hebron to Palestine, two or three miles south of Shokoh, and
about fifteen miles north-west of Hebron. Chezib, also called Achzib in the book of
Micah (Micah 1:14-15), was located close to Ein-Chezbah north of Adullam.
2- ER AND TAMAR
Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar (Gen.
38:6).
If Judah did wrong by his marriage to a Canaanite woman, the fruit of that
fault was reflected on his sons; the Bible tells us that his firstborn son died before
having children, to serve as a lesson for Judah and his other sons; but that lesson
proved to have no effect on their lives. When Judas ordered his son Onan to marry
Tamar, to raise an heir to his deceased brother, Er behaved inhumanely, emitting on
the ground, lest Tamar would conceive; probably because he wanted his fathers
inheritance to be confined to him and his younger brother Shelah, and not to be shared
by the deceased brother Er. Thus because of greed for a larger share, he refused to
raise an heir to his deceased brother, so God killed him as well (Gen. 38:10).
It was fit for Judas to reconsider his accounts, and to realize that he failed in
raising his children; he has lost Er and Onan, and now, he has only Shelah... Instead of
guiding Shelah to walk according to the spirit of his fathers Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, he said to Tamar his daughter-in-law to remain a widow in her fathers house,
under the pretense of the young age of his third son; saying in his heart, lest he also
dies as his brothers did (Gen. 38:11). How much we need in dealing with our lives,
to go deeper, and seek the real cause of corruption, to root it out, instead of acting in a
superficial outer way. If Judah had rooted sin out of his family, there would not have
been any need for the fears that filled his heart and mind, nor need to send Tamar back
to her fathers house.
older than she is, could also fall; as in us, as well, the law of our flesh is warring
against that of our minds, and bringing us into captivity to the law of sin, that we do
what we do not want to do (Romans 7:23); her young age might be an excuse for her,
but what is my excuse? She will have to learn, but I will have to know that She has
been more righteous than I.
We could accuse others for greed; Yet, let us contemplate whether we have
never been as greedy; and that greed, namely the love for wealth, is the origin of all
evils, that works in our bodies as a vicious serpent; That is why we should say, She
has been more righteous than I.
As a Bishop gets unfairly aggressive against a certain member of the
congregation, The Bishop should contemplate and say to himself, that the one whom
he came against, could be more righteous than he is. When we all do that, we would
be keeping ourselves from what the Lord Christ warned us against, as He said: Why
do you look at the speck in your brothers eye, but do not consider the plank in your
own eye... Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see
clearly to remove the speck out of your brothers eye (Matt. 7:3-5).
Let us, therefore, not be ashamed of admitting that our fault is worse than this
of the one, whom we are accusing; That was what Judah has done, as he rebuked
Tamar; remembering his own sin, he said: She has been more righteous than I. He
condemned himself, before others would condemn him1.]
(3) By that work of faith, Tamar became qualified to become a grandmother to
Christ the Lord; to have her blood run in His veins; that Matthew, the Evangelist
included her name in the genealogy of the Lord Christ (Matthew 1:23); while not
including the names of Sarah, Rebecca, or any other of the blessed mothers.
Tamar has been a symbol of the Gentile nations, who became a holy Church of
the Lord; that has been before fruitless like Tamar, like a desolate widow, with
nobody to support or to help. Her first near kinsman Shelah did not marry her; so she
attached herself to the second near kinsman, namely Judah. In the same way, the
Gentile nations did not attach themselves to their first kinsman, namely to the Mosaic
Law, nor committed themselves to circumcision or Judaism, but attached themselves
to the second near kinsman, namely to the true Judah, our Lord Jesus Christ, who
came from the tribe of Judas.
Actually, the actions of Tamar carried many symbols that are analogue to those
enjoyed by the Church of the Gentiles of which are:
a- Tamar took off her widows garments, to attach herself to Judas. Likewise,
the nations of the Gentiles took off the garments of the old man, to put on those of
new man, that would fit her union with the eternal Groom; Christ Himself has even
become her new Garment.
b- Tamar covered her face with a veil. Likewise, the nations of the Gentiles,
having received faith, are living here in a mystery, until the time comes, when they
encounter the Groom, face to face, to behold Him in the perfection of His glory, and
the greatness of His splendor; they would then be able to recognize His exalted
secrets.
c- Tamar sat at the entrance of Enaim (Gen. 38:14 NIV), meaning that of the
two springs; as though she is the Church of the Gentiles, that did not enjoy the
spring of the Old Testament alone, but that of the New Testament as well.
d- Tamar enjoyed Judahs signet, cord, and staff; namely the signet of sonship
. ...!! 1
. : 1
CHAPTER 39
1-6.
7-10.
1-18.
19-23.
through his masters wife, not because of human dignity, nor of an earlier upbringing,
but because of the love that filled his heart. That was confirmed by St. John
Chrysostom, as he compared between Joseph and Potiphars wife, proclaiming that
Joseph had practically loved her; In his talk to her, he did not hurt her feelings with a
single harsh word... he did not hint that she was intending to commit adultery; but
humbly said: Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and has
committed all that he has in my hand. There is no greater in this house than I, nor has
he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife (Gen. 39:9).
He is reminding her that she is his mistress, and his masters wife, proclaiming
that he could not pay for their generosity toward him, by treason! He proclaims that he
is the servant who serves, and not betray. He made it clear, that his relationship with
them, is in the Lord, saying: How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against
God? (Gen. 39:9)
He loved her in the Lord, and submitted to her in the Lord. The sign of his true
love was that he did not say anything disgraceful about her, when he was unfairly put
in prison; nor avenged her, when he was glorified by Pharaoh! On the contrary,
Potiphars wife loved him only carnally, or, in other words, she loved the lusts of her
body, as proved by her putting him in prison, and exposing him to death.
Fr. Caesarius says: [I believe that she neither loved him, nor loved herself. If
she loved him, how could she wish to destroy him?! And if she loved herself, how
could she wish to disgrace herself?! She was not in love, but was burning with the
poison of lust. She was not shinning with the flame of the truth1.]
In his talk with her, who loved him ferociously, he kept on calling her man,
My master. He did not use her evil emotions to control her, nor to let her feel that he
is equal to her, but adorned himself with the spirit of humility; and as St. Ambrose
says: [Although Joseph was from the family of the great Patriarchs, he was not
ashamed of the lowly servitude, but he adorned it by his readiness for service, and
glorified it by his virtues2.]
Ser.98:1.
Joseph became naked, to become more splendid than others; as though he returned to
how Adam has not been ashamed of his nakedness in Paradise, because of his purity.
Joseph became a living role model of courage and fleeing from evil. Of the
sayings of Fathers in this concern:
If you are still pure, be more so by avoiding looking at indecent things, and hearing
improper talk...Do not seek vain excuses, but have only one solution... leave the
Egyptian harlot, and escape even naked1.
St. John Chrysostom
Joseph fled leaving his garment, to avoid hearing what could contradict his purity,
as he, who enjoys listening, is encouraging the other who talks2.
St. Ambrose
If you can follow Josephs example, and leave your garment in the hand of your
Egyptian mistress; in your nakedness you are following your Lord and Savior, who
says in the Bible, that whoever do not forsake all what he has and bear his cross
and follow Me, will not be my disciple3.
St. Jerome
When you are on the housetop, do not think about your garment that is down
(Matthew 24: 17, 18); To flee from your Egyptian mistress, forsake the garment
that belongs to this world... Even Elijah, in his quick move to heaven, could not
take his mantle with him, but left the garments of the world there in the world (2
Kings 2:11,13)4.
St. Jerome
Fr. Asterius, Bishop of Amasea, believes that what Joseph did, strongly bore
what was realized in our Lord Jesus Christ, saying: [An Egyptian woman caught
Joseph by his garment, so he left his garment in her hand and fled away... Christ The
Lord forsook death that took hold of Him, leaving his linen clothes in the tomb. The
Egyptian woman got Josephs garment in her hand, but could not get Joseph himself...
The linen wraps were in the tomb that could not keep the Lord in it5.]
4- JOSEPH IN PRISON
Potiphars wife could not have Josephs heart, so he took hold of his garment,
and cried out accusing him of evil, to arouse the anger of her husband: He took him
and put him into the prison, a place where the Kings prisoners were confined. And he
was there in the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He
gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison (Gen. 39: 20, 21)
Joseph succeeded in his fathers house, as a son who loved those who hated
him; so God got him into servitude, to proclaim his success as a foreign slave; and
having succeeded in his servitude, and adorned it with virtues. God got him in prison,
to be glorified in him in the midst of criminals. God gave him favor in the sight of the
keeper of the prison, who committed everything to Josephs hand, and: The Lord was
with him, and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper (Gen. 39:23).
How beautiful are the words of St. John Chrysostom: [Joseph, in his
1
shackles, was more glorified than any victorious crowned leader; while Potiphars
wife, even in her royal dwellings, was more miserable than any prisoner1.]
The divine inspiration confirmed that The Lord was with Joseph. By this the
prison turned into heaven; as wherever the Lord is, that place turns to heaven! Jonah
encountered the Lord, buried in the tomb, when he was inside the whale, amid the
raging waves of the sea; and the Word of God appeared among the three young men
amid the flames of fire, while the Pharisee was deprived of the encounter with God in
the temple, as he stood haughtily counting his virtues! I am not underestimating by
this, the holiness of the temple, but I wish we encounter with God wherever we are!
God wants us to become a sanctuary for the Lord, and a temple for His Holy Spirit, to
carry Him inside us wherever we go. Thus, the prison was transformed in Josephs
life, into a new encounter with the Lord, on a level, probably deeper than what he has
been, in his fathers house. Or in that of his master.
Anyhow, the wicked woman cast Joseph into prison to destroy him; and there
he found success and grace; the prison was transformed into a way to glory; and as
said by St. John Chrysostom: [So are Gods ordainment, that things that seem to
harm us, are, themselves, that benefit us. That is what occurred in Josephs case; his
mistress intended to destroy him, yet while doing that, she placed him into security.
The house where that monster (woman) has been kept, was for Joseph, a sort of pit,
while the prison was for him a mercy. When he was in her house, surrounded by
endearment and love (her flirtation), he was in terror that she would entrap him; but
once he was accused and cast in prison, he got rid of that monster and of its corruption
and perishing plots. So, it was better for him, to be put into a miserable place (prison),
amid humans, than to be in a place dwelt by a crazy woman... Actually, he was not
cast into prison, but he set forth from one. She turned his master into an enemy, but
made of God a friend of his! She let him enter into a closer relationship with God, the
true Friend2.]
1
2
CHAPTER 40
JOSEPH IN PRISON
Joseph entered prison, not for anything wrong he did, but as a price for the lust
of Potiphars wife. Similarly, the Lord descended to us and passed the winepress, not
because of any evil, he might have done, but in redemption of humanity that was
defiled. In prison, Joseph encountered with the two eunuchs (officers) of Pharaoh, as
though he is the Lord Christ, crucified between two robbers.
1- The two eunuchs in prison
2- The dreams of the two officers
3- Realization of the two dreams
1-4.
5-19.
20-23.
1
2
In Tit. hom 4.
Asterius of Amasea: On Ps. 5 hom 19.
CHAPTER 41
1-8.
9-16.
17-32.
33-36.
37-46.
47-49.
50-52.
53-57.
end of time.
It seems that it will be bitter days, when the Antichrist will appear, of whom
the apostle Paul says: when the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who
opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that
he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God (2 Thessalonians
2:3-4).
And as Origen deals with the Antichrist, in his homilies on the Book of
Jeremiah, he thanks God that will not be present in those days, wondering, if there
would be one believer in every Church?! By that, Origin reflects the view of the
Church of the second century, concerning the Antichrist.
2- SUMMONING JOSEPH
It came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, Pharaoh sent and
called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. When he told them his
dreams, there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh. Then the chief butler
remembered what occurred with him and the chief baker, as they were in prison, and
how the Hebrew lad interpreted both their dreams; and how, just as he interpreted, so
it happened. The chief butler told Pharaoh, who sent and called Joseph, and they
brought him hastily; and he shaved and changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.
When Pharaoh told him about his dreams, Joseph said: It is not in me; God will give
Pharaoh an answer of peace (Gen. 41:16).
If letting hair grow, and putting on the prison clothing, refer to divine
incarnation, as Christ the Lord adopted our nature, yet without corruption, and put on
our body, what Joseph did, as he shaved and changed his clothing before entering to
Pharaoh, refer to the Lord Christ, who lifts us up to His glory, to the bosom of His
Father, after casting off our disgrace, and changing our first nature to one that fits our
enjoyment of His life. In Jesus Christ, we take off our old man, to put on the new man,
who is in the image of his Creator.
4- JOSEPHS COUNSEL
Joseph did not stop at interpreting Pharaohs dreams, but gave him a good
counsel, according to the divine wisdom, saying: Let Pharaoh select a discerning
and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt... Let him appoint officers over the
land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful
years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store
up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. Then
that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall
be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine (Gen. 41:3336).
Josephs counsel was concentrated in the following points:
(1) A need for a discerning and wise man to be set by Pharaoh over the land of
Egypt. Pharaohs response to that request was: Can we find such a one as this, a man
in whom is the Spirit of God? And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Inasmuch as God has
shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over
my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word (Gen. 41:38-40).
As God gives us insight, so as not to live any more under the shadow of the
Law, but to have the two dreams revealed, so as to discern the truth instead of the
shadow, the symbolized instead of the symbol, we discover that truth, that we are in
need of Him, Who receives our land, and ordains our inner life, by divine wisdom, so
as to say to our Joseph: If You made us know Truth, and enlightened us to the way to
heaven, Can we find anyone as discerning and as wise as you?! Who could be over my
inner house, and could fulfill my senses, my emotions, and all my energies, but You?
In other words, as Christ the Lord gets us to enter His heavenly secrets, our need for
Him, would increase, and our depths would flare with yearning toward Him, to say
with the bride: When I found the one I love, I held him and would not let him go,
until I had brought him to the house of my mother, and into the chamber of her who
conceived me (Song 3:4).
If Pharaohs heart got attracted to Joseph, saying: Can we find such a one as
this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God? How much more should we be attracted to
Him, whose the Spirit of God is His Spirit?!, the One with the Holy Spirit in
Godhead?!
The apostle Paul says: For Christ is the end of the Law (Romans 10:4). As
the Lord Christ reveals to us the secrets and depths of the Law, we discover that its
goal is to push us toward Christ as a Savior, and a Groom to human soul. That is
probably why the Psalmist cries out: With Your light, O God, we behold the light.
As though he is saying: By Your Christ, who is Your light, we discover the mysteries
of Your Law, to enter with us to Christ Himself, being the divine Light. Christ is the
Way, as well as the end!
(2) Joseph asks Pharaoh to appoint officers over the land, under the leadership
of that wise man. Who are these officers, but the sanctification of senses, to have all
our senses controlled and sanctified in the Lord, to work, not according to the whims
of the body, but according to the counsel of Christ the Lord, the Overseer of our whole
life.
It is noteworthy that Christ the Lord did not appoint any supervisor over our
senses, but the Holy Spirit, who, alone, can sanctify and formulate our senses,
according to His divine will. St. Anthony said: [The Holy Spirit instructs man on how
to keep the whole body - from the head to the feet - in harmony; to keep the eyes to be
pure; to keep the ears to hear in peace, and not to find pleasure in talking about others
and defaming others; to keep the tongue just to pray, giving weight to every word, so
that no defiled or carnal thing would intermingle with our talk; to keep the hands, to
be lifted for prayers, and to work for mercy and generosity; to keep the stomach, to
have appropriate limits for food and drink, according to what is right for sustaining the
body, and not letting lust and greed deviate it from its right course; and keep the feet,
to walk according to the will of God, to do the good works. By that, the whole body
would get under the authority of the Holy Spirit; to change gradually, until it, to a
5
certain extent, shares the features of the spiritual body, that it gains at the just
resurrection1.]
(3) Joseph counseled Pharaoh to gather one fifth of all the food of those good
years that are coming, and store up grain, as reserve for the land for the seven years of
famine that shall be in the land of Egypt. That was a wise counsel, which should be
adopted by every believer spiritually. In times of his spiritual comfort, and when his
heart flares with love for God, he should take the opportunity to gather, on account of
the kingdom of God, in the innermost stores of his heart, so that, being honest and
committed at those times, God, Himself, would support him at times of draught, and
at times of temptations.
As much as our honesty is, in times of spiritual flare, and we making use of
every opportunity for continuous growth, we shall find abundance of free help from
God, in times of negligence... Because He is honest, and not unjust to forget your
work and labor of love (Hebrew 6:10). If, under the Law, we are committed to give
tithes, in the era of grace, we should give in abundance. The one fifth, here, does not
imply a certain sum, but a surrendering our five senses to Him.
(4) As we set on earth, storehouses, land would not perish during the famine
(Gen. 41:36), namely, if our body carried in it, stores of spiritual grain, sin would be
incapable of corrupting it through famine, but would not perish during periods of
affliction.
proclaimed in the gold chain; enjoyed the heavenly chariot; set forth toward heaven,
from glory to glory, and from power to power; and became in Him dignified kings.
Joseph was called by the name of Zaphnath-Paaneah, that means in
Hieroglyph food of life, a title truly fit for Christ the Lord, who did not set earthly
storehouses to gather the grain of the good years, but offered Himself as Heavenly
Bread, whoever eats of It would not hunger, forever. Some believe that name to mean
in Hebrew Savior of the world or Proclaimer of secrets.
Pharaoh gave him a wife, Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah Priest of On,
symbolizing in this, the union of Christ the Lord to His bride, coming from the
Gentiles, where her father worshipped, and was a priest of the idols; The name
Asenath is that of the goddess of wisdom. That of her father, Poti-Pherah, means the
one related to Ra, God of the sun; and On was Heliopolis, city of the sun. It is
claimed that Asenath, has been a beautiful and decent girl, who loving Joseph dearly,
she forsook the idol worship, and clang to the Living God. Anyhow, I wish that we be
counted as Asenath to become wise enough to forsake the worship of the sun of this
world, and attach ourselves to the sun of righteousness, as an eternal Groom.
a long denial.
CHAPTER 42
1-4.
5-28.
20-38.
Joseph who was previously imprisoned is now imprisoning his brothers three
days. As they are released, they will find Joseph presenting them grain for their
houses, requesting them, in order to prove their honesty, to bring their younger brother
to him. It is the talk of the Lord Christ, who was buried in the tomb as though in
prison, granting us to be buried with Him three days, to enjoy the power of His
resurrection; then to receive Him as a heavenly bread to satisfy us and all our families,
namely, to fulfill the soul, together with the body, and the mind... all what we have.
As to his request for the younger brother, it is an invitation to work. The heart of the
Lord Christ would not be at peace toward the Church, unless it brings Him the
younger brother, namely seeks every soul and brings it to His account. The Lord
Christ will keep requesting from the Church to work on bringing Benjamin to Him,
namely, to bring Him all, being a Son on the right hand of God. With this Spirit, St.
John Chrysostom says: [God gets much pleasure by that; for, even if man did
everything possible, to submit his body to asceticism, if he fasts his whole life, if he
gives away all his possessions to the poor, all that would not be equal to his zeal for
souls salvation1.]
(5) Josephs words to them, Do this, and you shall live and not die (Gen.
42:18, 20), is the invitation by the Lord Christ, risen from the dead, wanting us to be
buried together with Him, in order to enjoy the new risen life, and not to die. And as
the apostle Paul said, Therefore we are buried with Him through baptism into death,
that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we
also should walk in the newness of life. For if we have been united together in the
likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection
(Romans 6:4-5).
(6) Why did Joseph bound Simeon before their eyes (Gen. 42:24)? Surely, he
did not do that out of spite or revenge, and most probably he loosed his shackles and
treated him well, after his brothers left. But he intended to motivate them to hasten to
bring him Benjamin, if they are keen on releasing their brother Simeon. From another
aspect, the word Simeon means hearkening, referring to hearkening to the voice of
God, and obeying him. That is why, binding Simeon, reveals the loss by the Jews of
the spirit of hearkening to God and obeying Him.
Yet some believe that Simeon had been very harsh toward Joseph, having been
the one who suggested killing him (Gen. 37:19-20). So he deserved chastisement to
make him feel his sin, and present repentance for his actions.
Reuben son of vision, on the other hand, rebuked his brothers, saying: Did I
not speak to you, saying, Do not sin against the boy, and you would not listen?
Therefore, behold, his blood is now required of us (Gen. 42:22).
He represents the son of vision, namely, the insight that opens to realize the
transgression done by man, in order to repent for it. And as said by St. John
Chrysostom: [When you behold a certain thing happening to you, remember your sin,
that brought it upon you2.]
3- RETURN TO CANAAN
Josephs brothers returned to their father in the land of Canaan, without
Simeon, to tell him all that befell them, and how the lord of the country said to
them, By this I will know that you are honest men; leave one of your brothers here
. 1
2
with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. And bring your
youngest brother to me. So that I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are
honest men. And I will deliver your brother to you, and you may trade in the land
(Gen. 42:33-34)
Jacobs response to that was: You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph
is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things
are against me. Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, Kill my two sons if I do not
bring him back to you; put him in my hands; and I will bring him back to you (Gen.
42:36).
Jacobs sons returned without Simeon, to have their depths revealed. It
appeared that they, in their hearts, did not hearken to God, the apparent thing that
represented bitterness to all, revealed the inner situation that they long disregarded.
In calling Joseph, the lord of the country without recognizing him, they
unknowingly testified that in him, the dreams they could not stand to hear were
realized. That lord was not aggressive, but was asking them to prove their honesty, by
bringing Benjamin to him.
Jacob refused to deliver Benjamin to them, lest any calamity should befall him
along the way like his brother Joseph, then you would bring down my gray hair with
sorrow to the grave (Gen. 42:38). This is the true fatherly emotions, as the fall of any
of our sons, even so he is young, would bring down our gray hair to the abyss; these
emotions expressed by the apostle Paul by saying: Who is weak and I am not weak?
Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? (2 Corinthians 11:20).
St. John Chrysostom often dealt with this fatherly compassion toward every soul in
the Jesus Christ1.
Jacob says you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave (the
abyss); as then, the door of Paradise was not yet opened... death was to him a
bringing down!
. 1
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1-13.
14-34.
vessels and carry down a present for the man: a little balm and a little honey, spices
and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds, and to take back the money that was returned
in the mouth of their sacs, beside other money to pay for what they will purchase.
As if, in order for the sons of Israel to encounter Joseph, it is fit for them to
present three things:
(1) To take Benjamin with them, without whom they would not see Josephs
face - symbolizing, as we said, Christ the Lord. In Him and with Him we can
encounter the Father in His heavenly glories.
(2) To take with them presents, some of the best fruits of the land, is a
representation of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, offered to us by the Father through His
Holy Spirit, to carry as a present of love to Him. For He is working in us to do for
His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). From his work, we are presenting Him with
what is for His good pleasure. And as the prophet David says: Of your own we have
given you (1 Chronicles 29:13). Indeed, the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22) are (balm, spices,
and myrrh) to heal the Spirit; (honey), that carries the sweetness of heart and mind; as
well as (pistachio nuts and almond) as food that satisfies the body. We present what
we enjoyed, as a source of healing for the soul, and satisfaction and sweetness, as a
present of love to the Father in His Son, to bring Him pleasure.
(3) Returning the silver that they found in the mouths of their sacs, refer to
understanding the symbols and the prophecies of the Old Testament. As to the new
silver, it is the enjoyment of the understanding of the New Testament, and recognizing
the gospel of Christ. If the words of the Lord are... like silver tried in a furnace of
earth (Psalm 12:6), it is fit for us to encounter with God through presenting that
silver by making it real in our life and obvious in our behavior, promulgating our
spiritual comprehension of the Law and of the Gospel, practically every day.
times as much as any of theirs. What servings of glory he got, he grants us from before
him, as we become fellows with Him in glory. The 5 times much of servings that
Benjamin got, refers to Gods gift to us, by sanctifying our 5 senses, to become
satisfied and glorified by Jesus Christ.
(6) That fulfilling and joyful encounter rejoiced Josephs heart and made it
yearn for his brothers, especially for Benjamin, caused them to look in astonishment at
one another, as to an exalted thing beyond their comprehension, in order to encounter
with their brother Simeon, to sit and eat with the Lord of the country, and to get
servings from before him, they had to be so prepared: To enter into Josephs house, to
wash their feet with water, to get feed for their donkeys; then to sit at the table.
What is entering Josephs house, but being included in the fellowship of the
Church, to get into Gods house through the water of Baptism? What is washing of
feet with water, but presentation of repentance to wash out our transgressions, and the
dust that clanged to our souls during our travel. As to feeding our donkeys, it refers to
sanctification of the flesh, that was animal - like by its lusts, to satisfy it, not with lusts
of this world, but through the sanctified life in the house of the Lord, and lastly, to sit
at the table, it refers to enjoyment of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. These are all the
media of our salvation, that we enjoy in the Church of Christ by the Holy Spirit
through the cross.
(7) We end our talk about that encounter, with the comment by St. John
Chrysostom on the weeping of Joseph, as he saw his brothers: [Let us be like that
man; be sad and weep for those who harm us; Let us not get angry with them, as they
actually, are worthy of tears, because of the punishment that awaits them, and the
judgment into which they cast themselves1.]
In 1 Thess. hom 4.
CHAPTER 44
1-13.
14-34.
the apostle Paul: It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body... And as we
have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly
man (1 Corinthians 15:44-49).
The man said, With whomever of your servants, it is found, let him die; and
we also will be my lords servants (Gen. 44: 9). That is the voice of humanity that
cried out, It was expedient that one man should die for the people (John 18:14). The
Lord Christ bore the cup for our sake, and died according to the flesh; and indeed we
all became slaves to our Lord; as though the previous words were realized literally in
the Person of the Lord Christ and those who believe in Him.
The men tore their clothes, having cast away the old man and set forth,
together with Benjamin the bearer of the cup, to the city, to encounter with Joseph, the
glorified.
CHAPTER 45
comprehending the voice of the Risen from the dead; the encounter has been for Saul
alone.
Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph, as though he is symbolizing the
Lord Christ, who proclaimed from heaven, I am Jesus, whom you are prosecuting. It
is hard for you to kick against the goads (Acts 9:5). And as Josephs brothers were
terrified from that encounter, Saul was likewise terrified and confused!
I wish that we hear the voice of Joseph, whom we sold out by our sins, saying:
I am Joseph your brother, who loved you, and offered you all compassion, yet you
sold me out for vain silver! I am Joseph, whom you subjected to humiliation! But
now, do not therefore be grieved nor angry with yourselves because you sold me here;
for God sent me before you to preserve life (Gen. 45:5).
We sold him for vain silver; but He was crucified to grant us eternal life. I say:
Let us not fear the encounter with our Lord Jesus, the risen from the dead, as He is
very tender, even in His admonition to us!
As he proclaimed himself to them, he asked them: Does my father still
live?! (Gen. 45:3). He already knew that his father still lived, but he was wondering
how he could sustain the severe blow! Could he be hoping for eventually seeing him?!
He is as though revealing to us, that what occupies the mind of the new Joseph, as He
encounters us through resurrection, is to present His atonement sacrifice to the Father,
who lives, and yearns to grant life to everyone.
His brothers could not answer him, for they were terrified in his presence
(Gen. 45:3). What was the cause for their terror? They saw Joseph as though he died
and rose again! They did not expect to see him again, especially with such great glory.
They probably remembered Josephs dreams that they despised and mocked; and are
now realized so magnificently! Or they probably assumed that they fell in the lions
den, the one whom they mercilessly cast to death, is risen again with great authority!
They might have fallen back, because of that horrible situation. But in amazing
tenderness, and in order to root out their fear, Joseph said to them: Please come near
me (Gen. 45:4). Through sin, we distance ourselves from our Joseph, yet, as we hear
His voice, and receive the work of His resurrection in us, we come near Him; and as
the apostle Paul said: But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off, have been
made near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13).
And in order to motivate them to approach Him, not only with their bodies, but
also with their hearts, he said to them: Do not therefore be grieved, nor angry with
yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life
(Gen. 45:5-8). He exposed their transgression, by saying: I am Joseph your brother
whom you sold into Egypt (Gen. 45:4). However, he hastened to offer them the way
out, that God made use of that evil, for his and their good. Two years have already
passed in that famine, and there are still five more years to go. And now, God has sent
him to preserve their life all along those years, so as not to die. With the same concept,
Christ the Lord proclaims to His own, that, although they sold Him, and delivered
Him to death, two years of famine have already passed for the world, and there remain
five more years of famine, till the end of days. The Word of God sustained the world
in the Old Testament, and now, He is sustaining it in the New Testament, until the life
of famine passes, and we enter into eternal fulfillment.
How beautiful it is, to meditate in Gods plan and ordinance, as He transforms
everything to the good, even if our brothers intended to get rid of us by selling us into
Egypt! God has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler
throughout all the land of Egypt (Gen. 45:8).
4
It was the old custom for Pharaoh, to call his first minister, his father, as he
leaves everything in his hands, like a son delivers his life in his fathers hands. And, as
Pharaoh represented the world of the Gentiles at that time, Christ the Lord became a
father to the Gentiles, a master on their life, and a ruler over their bodies (the whole
earth), as well as over their spirits. Such is how the true Joseph cares for the foreign
Gentiles, by gathering them to Himself, as members of His body. Hasten and go up
to my father, and say to him, Thus says your son Joseph: God has made me lord of
all Egypt; come down to me; do not tarry, You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and
you shall be near to me, you and your children, your childrens children, your flocks,
and your herds, and all that you have. There, I will provide for you, lest you and your
household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of
famine (Gen. 45:9-13).
Joseph was not thinking of the past, in a sick human way, but with a spiritual
insight, that is actually a divine gift. Instead of rebuking his brothers for the evil they
have done to him, and for the affliction they cause him to pass through along the past
years, he could see the mighty hand of God, and His supreme plan for his salvation
from death, and that of his father, his brothers, and their children. He did not waste
time in talks, but concentrated on serious work, saying: Hasten and go up to my
father. It was not the time to talk, but to act, and be saved from death that threatened
the world for five more years to come!
As to the land of Goshen, chosen by Joseph, for his father and brothers, and all
their children, it is located north-east of the Nile Delta, where the province of
Sharkieh is today. It is also called Rameses (Gen. 47:11), and a very fertile land for
pasture, where the children of Israel sojourned, herding Pharaohs and their flocks, up
till their time of affliction!
He counted his glory as his fathers and his brothers, saying to them, You
shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt (Gen. 45:13). Contrary to what many
people do, as they get rich and dignified, to disregard their own folks, and treat them
with haughtiness. Joseph felt that what he achieved was not his own doing, but was
Gods, for the sake of his father and his brothers, to live and be glorified. By that he
became an image of the Lord Christ, who forsook His glory for our sake, then got
glorified again, by the glory that was His, before the world was (John 17:5), so as to
lift us up with Him in His glory, as heirs to the inheritance.
of the land of Egypt, that are to be theirs. What are the carts that will carry us, but the
redeeming works of God, and the media of salvation, together with supplications and
prostration, that flare the heart to set forth by the Holy Spirit, not to enjoy the riches of
the land of Egypt, but those of heaven itself.
An instance of these divine carts, is the sacrament of Baptism; of which St.
Gregory the Theologian says: [Enlightenment is Baptism; enlightenment is a boat
that sails toward God, sailing with Christ, Head of religion, and consummation of
mind. Enlightenment is the key to the Kingdom of heavens; restoration of life;
freedom from servitude; and loosening of bonds1.] As to the second cart that sets with
us to glory; It is the sacrament of the Eucharist. It is described in the Syrian Liturgy
of Adam and Marie: [This sacrifice by your ministers... Let it be for the forgiveness
of our transgressions and our sins; a great light of resurrection from the dead; and a
new life in the kingdom of heavens.] Thus you could say that the works of the Holy
Spirit in the life of the Church, are like divine carts, capable of lifting us up to the
Fathers bosom, though abiding us in our Lord Jesus Christ.
If we go back to Pharaoh, we find him saying: Now you are commanded
(Gen. 45:19). Pharaoh assumes that any of his commands, for the benefit of Joseph
and his family, as though it is from Joseph himself; the same way as any of Josephs
commands, for the benefit of Egypt, as though it is from Pharaoh. I may say, that what
God the Father commands to grant us, is in Christ; and what Christ grants us, is
through God the Father.
How sweet are Do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the
land of Egypt is yours (Gen. 45:20). Surely, it was not easy for the elder Israel, his
children, grandchildren, and slaves, to leave back their land, despite what they
experienced because of the famine, unless they look forward to the promise, that the
best of all the land of Egypt is yours. Likewise, it would not be easy for us to forsake
what we have in the land of our sojourn, unless God opens our sight to behold the
eternal glory set for us, if our hearts depart to there. The apostle Paul, as his spiritual
eyes were opened to behold that glory, says: But what things were gain to me, these I
have counted loss for Christ. But indeed I count all things loss for the excellence of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,
and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:7-8).The apostle
Paul found in the Lord Christ, the Pearl of high value, for which he sold everything
with joy and happiness. In Him, he discovered abundance of riches, so he forsook
everything, setting forth with his heart and all his feelings; he found in Him all true
satisfaction.
Getting back to Joseph, we find him, in amazing love, in order to assure them
that he forgave all the past; he gave them carts, and to each man changes of garments,
but to Benjamin he gave 300 pieces of silver and five changes of garment; and he sent
to his father 10 donkeys loaded with grain, bread and food, as provisions for the
journey from Canaan to Egypt. As he sent them away, he said to them, See that you
do not become troubled along the way (Gen. 45:24); fearing that they would start to
blame one another for what they already did to him. It is not any more a time for
rebuke, but for hastening to come back together with their father, wives, children, and
all their possessions.
What are these garments, given by Joseph to his brothers, but the union with
the Lord Christ; to be with and in Him; to hide in Him, and have Him as a Garment to
. : 1
cover us eternally; and by Him, we should have the right to enter into the bosom of
God, His Father.
As to the silver that was given by Joseph to his younger brother Benjamin; it is
the word of the Gospel, delivered by the Lord Christ to His Church or to humanity, as
a younger brother. And as we said before, in our interpretation of the Book of Judges1,
that the figure 300 in Greek, is represented by the letter T namely the cross; It is as
though the 300 pieces of silver taken by Benjamin, is receiving the fellowship of the
cross and passion, together with the Lord Christ, through preaching of the joyful word
of the Gospel. As to the five changes of garments, given to Benjamin, They are the
sanctification of our five senses, to carry the features of the Lord Christ, and to be
sanctified on His account, by His Holy Spirit.
All what the True Joseph granted us, is but food for the journey (Gen.
45:23); But what is beyond that food, is an enjoyment of things that Eye had not
seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man; the things that God has
prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9). What we get here, is a pledge
and provision for the journey, until we reach the glory, in order to enjoy the divine
gift.
1
2
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the Law... I pray God, to put His hands on our eyes, so that we do not look forward to
the seen things, but to the future things; to lift up the veil from over our hearts, to
contemplate in the Lord with the Spirit1.]
After getting those promises in Beersheba, after offering sacrifices to the God
of his father Isaac (Gen. 46:1), the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little
ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him; taking their
livestock and their goods which they acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to
Egypt.
Jacob, would not have received these promises, except in Beersheba, namely in
the waters of Baptism, in which the Holy Spirit grants us the new birth to become
members in the body of Christ, to be prepared, by this, for God to go down with us to
Egypt, and to bring us back again from it. As to the sacrifices that he offered, these
would reveal the source of every divine gift, which is the sacrifice of Christ on the
cross.
Finally, the children of Israel set forth, carrying their father, their little ones,
and their wives, together with their livestock and their possessions. If we set forth by
our Lord Jesus Christ, to the spiritual strife, we set forth with the soul, as well as with
the body, all capabilities and energies to have them all working in the kingdom of
God, in the strange land.
CHAPTER 47
from his brother Esau, and on his way, he wrestled with an angel the whole night
(Gen. 32). In Shechem, his sons Simeon and Levi caused him much trouble, and made
him obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land because of their sister Dinah. In
Ephrath his beloved wife Rachel travailed in childbirth and died (Gen. 35), then his
father died. After that, his firstborn son Reuben laid with his fathers concubine,
something that was very painful for Jacob (Gen. 21). This was followed by the
episode of Joseph that rocked his whole being.
It may look as though he has been a failure. Yet becoming Israel, he presented
the Church of the Old Testament. And from his seed, Christ the Lord came incarnated.
He remains Jacob the father of every believer! He blessed Pharaoh, then blessed him
again (Gen. 47:10), as though the sufferings caused his blessing to increase.
running to the real Pharaoh (the devil), to ask him to have him as a slave, for a little
grain, a temporary lust, or dignity, and another who is enslaved by the enemy by force.
Origen says: [Take notice of what is said, that Hebrews fell into servitude with rigor,
having known to carry in themselves, natural freedom, which cannot be easily taken
away from them, except through force. Pharaoh, on the other hand, submitted the
Egyptians to servitude, without any claim of use of force. The Egyptians (symbolizing
lovers of the world), were easily swept down to corruption, and quickly fell into
wickedness1.]
If the Egyptians symbolized to the non-believers (having been worshippers of
idols) and were symbols of lovers of the world, the Hebrews represented the believers.
The former coveted the life of humiliation and servitude to the devil, for the sake of
world lusts, while, for the latter, the enemy uses all his energies, and exerts every
effort to captivate them to his side. Anyhow, when the former happened to fall into
servitude, they used to live it all their life, while the Hebrew, if it happens to be sold
as a slave, according to the Law, he should be set free on the seventh year of his
servitude. The wicked falls by his own free will, to be said of him, that he is like a
dog returning to his own vomit, and a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the
mire (2 Peter 2:22); while the man of God, even if he falls, will stand again. He
would not find comfort, except in the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Going back to the Egyptians, at that time, we find that they first presented their
silver to Pharaoh, then their livestock, and their bodies and lands, namely their whole
life. If silver refers to the word of God (Psalm 12:6), the beginning of our setting forth
toward servitude, is surrendering our weapon - the word of God - to the enemy; who
would draw from our heart its attachment to the word, to deprive us of the warmth of
the spirit, and take away from us the sweetness of the experience of the cross, and the
fellowship with our Savior. As man surrenders his gospel to live without it, the enemy
would demand the livestock, namely the bodily lusts, to turn him with his body under
the servitude of the enemy, who agitates the bodily lusts, to act as hooks to catch the
body with all its energies, to put all its movements, its feelings, and all its energies,
namely to put all the land under the authority of Pharaoh - the devil. When man loses
the sanctification of his livestock, body, and land, all to become Pharaohs, there will
be no way for the soul, but to bow, with its full will before Pharaoh, to beg him to
acquire it on his account; to work as an instrument of wickedness, rejoicing in the fall
of others and their doom.
Some people may wonder, why Joseph, the righteous man, acted that role, to
deliver the Egyptians as slaves to Pharaoh? Origen says: [We can answer that by the
fact that the Holy Bible itself, gives a justification to the ordination of that saintly
man, by saying that the Egyptians have sold themselves and their possessions (Gen.
47:20). Thus, we can not blame Joseph for executing what these people brought on
themselves. You may also discover that the apostle Paul as well, did something like
that, when he delivered someone, who was sexually immoral, to Satan, for the
destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord (1
Corinthians 5:5). That man qualified himself for unworthiness of the fellowship with
saints. We cannot say that St. Paul acted in haste, when he cast such a man out of the
Church, and delivered him to Satan; the whole blame actually falls on that individual
himself, who deserved through his behavior to lose his place in the Church, to be in
top of the golden scepter in the hand of King Ahasuerus (Artaxerxes). Anyhow, we
said that, Israel representing the Church, sojourning in the world, as did Israel in
Egypt. As she finds the True Joseph, namely our Lord Jesus Christ, he promises her to
carry, even her body to the heavenly Canaan, after granting it a new spiritual nature.
Then the Church bows before the Royal Scepter of her true Groom, as a sign of
thanksgiving for His continuous benefits. Several Fathers saw in that phrase a clear
prophecy about the cross, or the Crucified One, worthy of bowing before Him.
CHAPTER 48
promised land.
. 1
2
3
On Ps. 78.
City of God 16:42.
CHAPTER 49
transgression (Simeon and Levi). But we should attach ourselves to the true Judah, in
order to enjoy the power of His resurrection working in us. By that, he then set forth to
Zebulun, who refers to setting forth toward the sea, namely heading to the Gentiles to
preach them. He, who carries in him, the risen Judah, could never stand to see the
Gentiles in their lack of faith; but would seek the salvation of every soul.
He compares Issachar to a donkey, carrying the burdens of others. If we are
accused of idiocy, because of our bearing the passion with joy, and our serving others;
let us not escape, but keep on working incessantly, guided by His words: Come to
Me, all who labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).
The more the kingdom of God extends among the nations, the more will be the
opposition of the devil, until the Antichrist appears, out of the tribe of Dan, as a
serpent by the way, a viper by the path, to bite until killing.
Then he spoke of Gad, as being tramped upon by a troop, but triumphs at last
as a reference to the believer who is often attacked, yet to conquer at the end. That is
why, he is followed by Asher with his fat bread, and royal dainties; the spiritual wars,
even if they expose our weaknesses, yet, they give strength to the soul, and make it
more fruitful.
After Asher, he spoke of Naphtali, of quick action. He gives sweet words to
all. As to Joseph, he carries the seeds of two tribes: Manasseh and Ephraim; his
name meaning, growth, through forgetting the worries of the world Manasseh, and
enjoying the increasing fruition Ephraim.
Finally he speaks of Benjamin, meaning son of the right hand; who enjoys
the fellowship of the eternal glory.
In short, we can say, that Jacob with the spirit of prophecy in his sons, is a
living portrait of the Church, striving in Jesus Christ:
1- Reuben: Getting away from self-righteousness.
2- Simeon and Levi: Getting away from evil plotting.
3- Judah: Getting attached to Christ.
4- Zebulun: Setting forth to preaching.
5- Issacher: Bearing the burdens of others.
6- Dan: Opposing the devil.
7- Gad: Spiritual strife.
8- Asher: Fruits of the strife.
9- Nephtali: Sweetness of talk.
10- Joseph: Continuous growth.(Manasseh [forgetting the worries of the world] and
Ephraim [enjoying the increasing fruition])
11- Benjamin: Enjoyment of the right hand of God.
2- REUBEN
As the blessing is through the shadow of the Law, Jacob began by his firstborn
according to the flesh Reuben, who represents the nature, having come from Leah.
Reuben means son of vision. But unfortunately, he did not keep the purity of his
eyes, to behold the heavenly things, but leaned on his own self, and lost his insight,
to leave his spiritual birthright to Judah, who would enjoy the coming of the Lord
Christ, the true Firstborn, from his seed; He, whose fragrance gives pleasure to the
Father.
Jacob blesses his firstborn, according to the flesh; but admonishes him at the
same time: Reuben, you are my firstborn; my might, and the beginning of my
strength; the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. Unstable as water,
you shall not excel, because you went up to your fathers bed. Then you defiled it - He
went up to my couch your fathers bed (Gen. 49:3-4).
Jacob was proud of his firstborn, and calls him his might and the beginning of
his strength He received the best dignity and power, yet, he does not forget that he
went and lay with Bilhah his fathers concubine (Gen. 35:22). Because of that, he lost
his birthright, to be given to Josephs sons (1 Chronicles 5:1). As to the spiritual
birthright, it went to Judah. Reuben was defeated before his bodily lust, so became
like water, boiling up then cooling down again, losing his virtue.
Reuben represented the Jewish people, counted as firstborn in the knowledge
of God, but, because of his denial, he lost his birthright; lost his spiritual strength, his
dignity and virtue, and counted as defiled, through their attempt to corrupt the Church
of God. About this, St. Hippolytus of Rome says: [A great role was supposed, for the
power of God, to be proclaimed, on account of His firstborn people, on their exodus
from the land of Egypt. For their sake, that land had been chastised in several ways
that people was meant by His saying: My strength and my firstborn, the first people,
the circumcised.] But unfortunately, they lost this privilege because of their denial of
faith of the Savior, and were counted as defilers of the Church. What happened with
the Jews, will happen at the time of backsliding, when many will deny faith; St.
Hippolytus of Rome says: [In the last days, people will violate the Fathers bed,
namely, the Church His bride, to corrupt it, something that is happening nowadays
through blasphemy.]
4- JUDAS
Indeed, Judah did not get two portions like Joseph, his brother, who took the
birthright from Reuben, to become two tribes: Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Jacob
counted as his sons, like Reuben and Simeon, referred to him (Gen. 48:5). But Judah,
got the portion of a lion in the blessing, when Jacob saw the Lord Christ, the King and
Priest, coming from his seeds, saying: Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall
praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your fathers children shall
bow down before you (Gen. 49:8).
Who is this Judah, whom his brothers shall praise, but the Lord Christ,
5
Himself, Who comes from the tribe of Judah; Who, with the cross, has put his hand on
the neck of the devil, his enemy, and destroyed him, to set humanity free from his
authority, in order to let them worship Him in Spirit and truth. Judas became the royal
tribe; starting by David, the king and prophet; and culminating by the coming of the
King of kings, the Lord of glory Himself. Judah is a lions whelp. From the prey, my
son, you have gone up; He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who
shall rouse Him?! (Gen. 49:9).
Seeing the Lord Christ, in the seed of Judah, Jacob called Him the lion that
came out of the war of the cross, victorious over his spiritual enemies. He bowed
down, and lied down on the cross. But, even in His sleep on the cross, He has been a
lion. No enemy could approach Him. Concerning this, St. Augustine says: [He
prophesied the death of Christ by saying lied down, stressing that his death has been
by his own will, and not compulsory; symbolizing Him by a lion. He, Himself,
proclaimed that authority, in the Bible, saying, No one takes it from Me, but I lay it
down by Myself; I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again (John
10:18). So the lion roared, and consummated what he said. Then He added to that His
power in resurrection, saying, Who shall arouse Him?, namely, He will raise
Himself up, no one will arouse Him. He said about His body, Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up (John 2:10). He also talked about the kind of His
death, namely being lifted up on the cross, saying, From the prey, you have gone
up1.]
Then he goes on saying: The scepter shall not depart from Judas, nor a
lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience
of the people (Gen. 49:10). It is a privilege that Jacob gives to his son, whose
descendant will carry the royal scepter, and from among his children (between His
feet), will be the Lawgiver, until the Messiah, the Grantor of peace (Shiloh) comes, to
include the nations in His spiritual kingdom. St. Augustine says: [The Jews, were so
called, after Judah one of the twelve sons of Jacob... from whose seed, royalty
came... From that tribe kings came; and from it our Lord Jesus Christ came2.]
Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkeys colt to the choice vine. He
washed his garment in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes (Gen. 49:11)
In our study of the gospel of Matthew, chapter 21, we saw that the donkeys
colt refers to the Jewish people, and the donkey to the Gentiles, who lost their minds,
because of their pagan defilements. He is proclaiming by the spirit of prophecy that
both, the Jews and the Gentiles, have united together to the vine. And the choice vine
has become one holy Church. As St. Hippolytus comments on this phrase: [He calls
both circumcised and uncircumcised peoples to one faith3.] This, and the garment of
Christ, refers to the Church, attached to Him, as what we saw in our talk on the
colored tunic (Gen. 37:3); that garment, that was washed by the Lord in His pure
blood]; and as St. Cyprian says: [What is the blood of wine, but the wine of the blood
of the Lord?!4] And St. Clement of Alexandria says: [The vine produces wine, and
the Word offers blood; both give health: the wine for the body, and the blood for the
spirit5.] And St. Augustine says: [What is this garment, that He washes in wine,
1
namely in His blood, from sin, but the Church?!1] His eyes are darker than wine,
and His teeth whiter than milk (Gen. 49:12).
St. Hippolytus comments on this phrase, saying: [His eyes glow, as though by
the word of truth, watching what is believed; and his teeth are whiter than milk,
expressing the strength of His illuminating words. That is why he described them as
white, and compared them to milk, that nourishes the body and soul.] St. Augustine
says: [His eyes are red because of the wine; these are His spiritual people, who drink
His cup; and His teeth are whiter than milk; which is the words taken by the babes,
who, as the apostle says, are not still qualified for solid food (1 Corinthians 3:2; 1
Peter 2:2)2.]
St. Hippolytus also says, that the eyes refer to the prophets, and the milk to
the commandments of Christ, saying: [What are the eyes of Christ, but the prophets
who prophesied by the Spirit, and proclaimed in advance, the passions that He would
suffer; and rejoiced, as they clearly saw Him, through the spiritual insight, getting
revived by His word and grace?... And the milk refers to the commandments, coming
from the mouth of Holy Christ, pure as milk3.]
5- ZEBULUN
Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea. He shall become a haven for
ships; and his border shall adjoin Sidon (Gen., 49:13).
The tribe of Zebulun dwelt west of the River Jordan, west of the Sea of
Galilee; and worked as traders, who most probably have taken over locations close to
the Mediterranean Sea. St. Hippolytus believes, that his saying, Zebulun shall dwell
by the Haven of the sea, carries a symbol of the union of Israel to the Gentiles; as the
sea symbolized the Gentiles, while the river symbolized the Jews4; so the two together
unite to form one flock. St. Hippolytus says: [The Haven for ships, designates a
secure Haven, referring by this to the Lord Christ, the Anchor of hope. Here is a
reference to the call to the Gentiles; when the grace of Christ covers the whole earth as
well as the sea. By saying: He shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall
adjoin Sidon, he presents a prophetical proclamation, concerning the Church of the
Gentiles, which appeared in the Gospel: The land of Zebulun and the land of
Nephtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people
who sat in the darkness saw a great light (Matthew 4:15-16). Therefore, by saying
Zebulun, fixing his dwelling by the border of the sea, he prophecies the union of Israel
with the Gentiles, both to become one flock, under the One Great Shepherd, the good
by His nature, the Lord Christ. That is why, in his blessing, Moses says: Rejoice, O
Zebulun (Deuteronomy 33:18).
6- ISSACHAR
Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two burdens; he saw that
rest was good, and that the land was pleasant; he bowed his shoulder to bear a
burden, and became a band of slaves (Gen. 49:14-15). He likened Issachar to a
strong donkey; as that tribe used to work as farmers, characterized by patience. As the
land was fertile, he was satisfied with agriculture, and did not care, except rarely for
1
7- DAN
Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a
serpent by the way, a viper by the path that bites the horses heels, so that its rider
shall fall backward. I have waited for your salvation, O Lord (Gen. 49:16-18).
As this prophecy carries bitterness, he started it with an admonishment,
proclaiming that Dan is one of the tribes of Israel; counted as a tribe, although he
was the first among Jacobs sons born to a concubine (Gen. 30:1-6). His descendants
were known as having been shrewd cunning; described by Moses as A lions whelp;
He shall leap from Bashan (Deuteronomy 33: 22).
St. Irenaeus says that the antichrist will come from the tribe of Dan; a view
accepted by several Fathers, and supported by St. Hippolytus, by quoting the prophet
Jeremiah, The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan. The whole land trembled
at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones. For they have come and devoured the
land and all that is in it, the city and those who dwell in it. For behold, I will send
serpents among you, vipers which cannot be charmed, and they shall bite you
(Jeremiah 8:16-17); believing all that to conform with the time of (backsliding), when
the antichrist would come out of the tribe of Dan, with his hosts, to make war against
the Church all over the world, and to bite the believers with the poison of his
blasphemies. He also supports his view by the words of the prophet Moses: A lions
whelp; He shall leap from Bashan (Deuteronomy 33:22). As the Lord Christ came
out of the tribe of Judah as a lion, the antichrist, in order to deceive mankind, would
come out of the tribe of Dan, as a whelp of a lion.
As the Lord Christ came out of the tribe of Judah, the antichrist will come out of
the tribe of Dan What does he mean here by the Serpent, but the deceiving
antichrist; the serpent that was mentioned in the Book of Genesis (3:1), that
deceived Adam and Eve?!
That would surely be realized in the tribe of Dan; from which would come a tyrant,
a king, a fearsome judge - a son of Satan1.
St. Hippolytus of Rome
1
8- GAD
Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him; But he shall triumph at last (Gen.
49:19). The tribe of Gad chose the region, east of the Jordan as its portion, after
vowing to the prophet Moses to cross, with the rest of his brothers, over the Jordan,
and fight together with them, until all the enemies are driven out of the promised land
(Numbers 32). Their choice of the east of Jordan, made their land a battle field
between Aram and Israel (2 Kings 10: 33), and they wereexposed to attacks by the
Amonites and the Amorites, but the children of God, were always capable of chasing
and defeating them. Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness;
and were described as, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle
shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were a swift as gazelles
on the mountains,... the least (of them) was over a hundred, and the greatest was over
a thousand (1 Chronicles 12: 8, 14).
Gad, therefore, represented the soul, that faces several spiritual wars, yet would
never cease to strive in the Lord; hastening as a gazelle toward the higher Jerusalem;
fearlessly making war against sins and transgressions.
9- ASHER
Bread from Asher shall be rich; and he shall yield royal dainties (Gen. 49:
20). Jacob prophesied the prosperity of Asher; and the prophet Moses said that he will
dip his foot in oil (Deuteronomy 33:24). The two prophesies were realized, as the
tribe of Asher enjoyed fertile lands, rich in olive trees from which oil was extracted.
The produce of their land was so abundant, that their bread was described as rich; and
they used to export to the other tribes. Their dwelling close to the sea, also enabled
them to import foreign items, then sell them to the other tribes; so it was said that they
yield royal dainties. That tribe referred to abundance of grace in the life of spiritual
strugglers.
10- NAPHTALI
Naphtali is a doe set free, that bears beautiful fawns (Gen. 49:21). That
tribe, in its love for freedom, simulated a female gazelle running free in an open
wilderness, and in a valley with no obstacles; roaming swiftly wherever it chooses.
Yet that freedom was not an excuse for wickedness and corruption, but this tribe had
been committed to good relationships with the rest of tribes, offering full blessings of
the Lord. And in the Book of Judges, Deborah, the prophetess sang, saying: Zebulun
is a people who jeopardized their life to the point of death; Naphtali also, on the
heights of the battlefield (Judges 5:18); probably in reference to their strife in wars.
The prophet Moses blessed them before his death, saying: O Naphtali, satisfied with
favor, and full of blessing of the Lord; Possess the west and the south (Deuteronomy
33: 23). Thus Naphtali came to represent the soul, which, because of its tender
relationship with its brothers, it enjoys the blessing of the Lord.
11- JOSEPH
Joseph, the man of dreams, the firstborn of Rachel, was praised more than
all his brothers; having been honest in his relationship with God, and loving all, as a
son, a brother, a slave, a prisoner, or a leader in a palace. That is why his father called
him, a fruitful bough, repeating it twice, as a reference that its fruit is that of love;
and because the figure 2, as said by St. Augustine, refers to love, making two into
one. Joseph was a bough that produced a heavenly fruit, exalted high, not hindered by
the wall of events nor surrounding circumstances, saying: Joseph is a fruitful bough,
a fruitful bough by a well. His branches run over the wall. The archers have bitterly
grieved him, shot at him and hated him. But his bow remained in strength, and the
arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (Gen.
49: 22-24)
Joseph represents the human soul, honest to God, that does not cease to offer
spiritual love, despite numerous oppressions and fierce spiritual wars. That soul keeps
on being a fruitful bough, connected to the origin, according to the words of the Lord:
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much
fruit. For without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5). It is the bough that is attached
to the well of the water of the Holy Spirit, that grants it life and fruits; to grow to
become like branches run over the wall of time, set forth toward heaven. Through
abiding in Christ, and enjoying the work of the Holy Spirit, the soul faces Satan and
his hosts the archers, such a bitter war, which would justify him and reveal, the
more, his conquest.
St. Hippolytus believes that the talk here applies more to the Lord Christ,
whose brothers envied Him, and whom the archers, namely the leaders of people,
grieved Him by their bitter counsel. But their bows were broken, and their arms
collapsed, proclaiming His victory on the cross against the wicked hosts. The Lord
Christ was often described as a bough especially in the book of Zechariah (3:8).
Joseph, although separated by his brothers, who sold him as a slave, to live far
away in humiliation, was seen by Jacob as a (Nazarite) among his brothers, namely
dedicated to God on their behalf; to enjoy exalted heavenly and worldly blessings;
saying: By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob, (from there is the Shepherd, the
Stone of Israel); By the God of your father who will help you, and by the Almighty
who will bless you; With blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies
beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father have
excelled the blessings of my ancestors; up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.
They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him, who was
separate from his brothers (the Nazarite among his brothers) (Gen. 49:24-26).
Jacob asks for his son Joseph every blessing possible, praying on his behalf to
God, beloved by him; the Shepherd and the Stone of Israel, who will help him; asks
from the Almighty, to bless him with the blessings of heaven above, and blessings of
the deep that lies beneath; riches of the land and abundance of descendants (blessings
of the breasts and womb); to be granted more blessings than those given to Isaac by
Abraham, and to Jacob by Isaac (The blessings of your father have excelled the
blessings of my ancestors); asking for him a blessing that would be up to the utmost
bound of the everlasting hills.
So Jacob loved his son Joseph more than himself, praying for him to be
granted much more than he got of his fathers blessing; a blessing that will cover his
soul (blessing of heaven), and his body (blessing of the deep that lies beneath) and all
his energies and abilities (blessings of the breasts and womb), to become eternally
blessed, and a Nazarite among his brothers to intercede on their behalf.
12- BENJAMIN
Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he shall devour the prey, and at
night he shall divide the spoil (Gen. 49:27).
The prophecy refers here to the courage of the tribe of Benjamin and its might
in war. It was said of them: Everyone of them could sling a stone at a hairs breath
and not miss (Judges 20: 16).
10
St. Hippolytus of Rome says that the prophecy here refers to King Saul who
was from the tribe of Benjamin, who was threatening to devour King David like a
wolf; and refers as well to Saul of Tarsus, who set forth in the morning of his life, to
devour the Church as a spoil, but, after he believed, he submitted and delivered
himself to her as food (The Septuagint version).
St. Jerome presented us with the same thought, saying: [Paul, the persecutor
of the Church, the wolf coming out of the tribe of Benjamin to devour a prey, bows
his head before Ananias, one of Christs flock, to have his eyes healed, before the
medicine of Baptism (Acts 9:17-18) 1.] He also says: [In the morning, Paul, the
prosecutor of the Church, was a wolf that devours; but in the evening he became food
to be offered (according to the Septuagint version) submitted to the lamb, Ananias2.]
1
2
Ep. 69:6.
Ep. 60:8.
11
CHAPTER 50
BURIAL OF JACOB
Jacob died as a stranger in the land of Egypt, after commanding his sons to
bury him in Canaan, in the burial place of his fathers. As though, realizing that the
seed of Gods people, had been planted in Egypt to grow and flourish, he demands
from these people to keep their hearts attached to Canaan, the promised land, in order
to enjoy the promises of God.
1- Embalming Jacob
1-6
2- Burying Jacob in Canaan
7-13
3- Joseph reassures and comforts his brothers
14-21
4- Joseph takes an oath from the children of Israel to carry his bones from
Egypt
22-26
1- EMBALMING JACOB
Jacob lived all his life, like his fathers, unsettled in tents; and died as a stranger
in the land of Egypt. He commanded his sons to bury him in Canaan in the cave of
Machpelah, where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca etc. were buried. Some people
may ask: why did such man of faith, father of all tribes, care about that issue, to make
it his last command to his sons?! Does he care for the body after death?!
(1) The Fathers confirm that people of the Old Testament, used to care to have
their bodies buried in particular locations, as a tradition, through which their children
would apprehend the resurrection of the body. Those fathers lived their life as
strangers, depriving the body of comfort and luxury, in anticipation of carrying it
glorified in the great day of the Lord.
(2) Jacob wanted to confirm to his children, through burying him in Canaan,
that, although he lived his last days in Egypt, where Joseph delivered the family from
famine, yet his heart is in Canaan, that God promised to give to Abrahams
descendants. It is as though Jacob is demanding from his children to live in Egypt,
honestly working and striving, yet, they have to keep their hearts attached to Gods
promises to them.
(3) He demanded to be buried with his fathers, to proclaim that his life walked
in harmony with the faith of his fathers, delivered along the ages, in particular his faith
in the resurrection from the dead.
Anyhow, when Jacob died, Joseph was so moved that, He fell on his fathers
face, and wept over him, and kissed him (Gen. 50:1)
As though he was aware of the realization of Gods promise to his father: Do
not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go
down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will
put his hands on your eyes (Gen. 46:4); namely, he will put his hands on his fathers
eyes on his death to close them, as it is the custom to this very day.
Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his fathers, to carry
him to Canaan and spoke to the household of Pharaoh to speak in the ears of Pharaoh,
to let him go up and bury his father in Canaan; as it was not possible for Joseph to
approach Pharaoh with his attire of grief, and with his long beard, left to grow, in
honor of the deceased.
to bury Israel. Joseph said: I go up and bury my father (Gen. 50:6), as it was, in his
eyes, a procession of ascending and not of descending, carrying a symbol of
ascension of the Church toward the higher Jerusalem, the true Canaan, to be eternally
with her Groom.
The procedure of burial was in three steps:
(1) Setting forth from Egypt; described by the Book as a very great
gathering (Gen. 50:9). It had at its head, Joseph, or the true leader of our spiritual
procession against the forces of darkness, according to the words of the apostle: Now
thanks be to God who always lead us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the
fragrance of his knowledge in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14). The procession also
included all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the
land of Egypt; as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his fathers house.
And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It has been the procession of
the Catholic Church that embraces all men of faith, from the Gentiles, as well as from
the Jews, both the servants and elite elders. It was a very great procession, as though
in a continuous war, not against flesh and blood, but... against spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12), a spiritual war against sin and
wicked spirits. Many Fathers spoke of this spiritual war, and of our enjoyment of
fighting it, through the water of baptism, to set forth toward heaven, in a conquest and
victory by the Holy Spirit. St. Cyprian says: [I wanted to fight gallantly, putting in
consideration the Sacrament that is mine, bearing the weapons of dedication and
faith1.] And St. John Chrysostom says: [Just as the seal is put on soldiers, so also the
Holy Spirit is put on the believers2.] And St. Cyril says: [Now, your name will be
engraved, and you will be called to join the (spiritual) camp3.]
In the symbolic Egypt, as the believer sets forth, as a very great army to make
battle against uncountable sins, he lives among tears and crying, as done by the
Egyptians, who mourned for seventy days (Gen. 50:3). Our exit from the love of the
world needs persistent spiritual strife, until our depths are freed, from worldly bonds,
by Jesus Christ the Leader of the procession.
(2) The procession came to the threshing floor of Atad which is beyond the
Jordan; representing the Church that longed to exit the love of the world, to enjoy the
heavenly life, through its crossing of the Holy baptism. There, the procession mourned
with a great and very solemn lamentation for seven days; of which it was said: When
the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of
Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning of the Egyptians; Therefore its name
was called (Abel Mizraim), which is beyond the Jordan (Gen. 50:11-12).
The baptism melds with mourning for seven days; as our new birth in the Holy
Font, melds with the continuous repentance, all the days of our sojourn. And as said
by St. Gregory of Nyssa: [Whoever receives the bath of renewal, is like a little
soldier, given a place among the wrestlers, although he did not still prove his
worthiness of that honor4.]
(3) As they reached the land of Canaan, we do not hear any more of tears and
crying; as though entrance into the heavenly Canaan, would take any suffering away
from the Church. And as said in the Book of Revelation: And God will wipe away
1
De Lapsis 13.
PG 61:48.
3
PG 33:333 A.
4
PG 46:429 C.
2
every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, and
there shall be no more pain; for the former things have passed away (Revelation
21:4).
Jacob entered into the same cave where his father Abraham was buried, as
though the sojourning Church, had found comfort, and settled down in the bosom of
Abraham.
bones.
Finally, the Book of Genesis came to an end, by the death of Joseph, his
embalming, and being put in a coffin in Egypt. As we said before, this Book started by
the creation, namely the setting forth of life out of nothingness through the work of
God; and ended by man being embalmed and buried in Egypt, where huge pyramids,
arts, and civilization, could not save him from death, because of his inner corruption.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PENTATEUCH
(THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES)
1- Unity of the five books
Nomenclatures, A historical unity, Relationship between history and faith in Judaism and
Christianity, The secret of unity between these five books, The five books of Moses and
the book of Psalms.
10
Moses - writer of the books, Testimonials from the Old Testament, Testimonials from the
New Testament, Development of the studies of the five books of Moses, 1- The old
documents hypothesis, 2-The fragment hypothesis, 3- The supplementary hypothesis, 4The new documents hypothesis, 5- The traditional-Historical Criticism, Responding to the
objections of critics: Six objections
34
An Introduction; God, the Creator; The Spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters;
The first day: Let it be light; The second day: The firmament; The third day: The plants;
The Fourth day: Creation of the great lights; The fifth day: The Reptiles, fishes, and birds;
The sixth day: The animals and man.
56
64
The deceitful serpent; Opening of their eyes; Gods care for man; Cursing the serpent;
Promise of salvation; Chastening man; A tunic of skin; God sent man forth out of the
Garden of Eden.
78
Accepting the offering of Abel; Murder of Abel; Children of Cain; Birth of Seth.
CHAPTER 5: DEATH
91
Descendants of Adam (and their death); The righteous Enoch; Methusaleh; Noah.
96
An introduction about the ark and the flood; The sons of God and the daughters of men;
The righteous Noah; Corruption of the earth; The ark of Noah.
107
Gods care for Noah; Entering the ark; The great flood; Water rising high above the earth.
112
Wind passing over the earth; Sending out a raven and a dove; Removing the covering of
the ark; Noah gets out to the new earth; Setting an altar for the Lord.
119
God blesses Noah and his sons; The Law of Noah; Renewal of the Covenant; Noah and his
nakedness; Noahs prophecy on Canaan, Shem, and Japheth.
125
132
138
CHAPTER 12 - CHAPTER 50
GODS DEALING WITH ABRAHAM
His life before reaching Canaan; His unsettled life in Canaan; Dwelling in the terebinth
tree of Mamre; Dwelling in the land of the south; In Hebron; Probably in the land of the
south.
141
A call to Abram; A blessing for all nations; Abram, practical in his faith; Abram in Egypt;
Sarai and Pharaoh.
154
Going up from Egypt; Separation from Lot; Lot chooses Sodom; God blesses Abram.
160
Captivation of Lot and his family; Abram rescues Lot; An encounter with Melchizedek;
Abram rejects human reward.
164
God appears to Abram; A promise of blessing; Animals cut down in the middle, and birds;
God makes a covenant with Abram.
171
Sarai gives her maidservant Hagar to her man; Hagar flees from her mistress Sarai; Hagar
returns to Sarai; Birth of Ishmael.
177
Gods covenant with Abram; The sign of circumcision; Sarah enjoys the blessing;
Between Isaac and Ishmael; Realization of the circumcision.
185
By the terebinth tree of Mamre; The hospitable Abram; Preparation of the banquet;
Sarahs enjoyment of fruition; A debate with the Lord.
194
Lot entertains the two angels; Agitation of the people against the two angels; Saving Lot
and his family; Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; Lots wife becomes a pillar of salt;
Abram looks toward Sodom and Gomorrah; Lots daughters do wrong with their father.
203
Abimelech and Sarah; Abimelech sends for Abraham; Abimelech honors Abraham.
208
The birth of Isaac; The circumcision of Isaac; The weaning of Isaac; The son of
inheritance and the son of the flesh; Hagar and the well of water; A covenant between
Abraham and Abimelech.
215
God tests Abraham; Isaac on the way; Setting the altar and offering the sacrifice; Renewal
of the divine promise; The family of Nahor.
227
232
Dispatching the chief servant in Abrahams house; In the city of Nahor; An encounter with
Rebecca; In Rebeccas house; Success of the mission of the chief servant in Abrahams
house; Rebecca, wife of Isaac.
240
Abrahams marriage to Keturah; Abraham breathes his last; The genealogy of Ishmael;
Birth of Esau and Jacob; Jacob purchases the birthright.
CHAPTER 21 - CHAPTER 27
GODS DEALINGS WITH ISAAC
1- Isaac, the son of promise, as the source of his parents joy (Gen. 21).
2- Isaac, the son of obedience, a burnt offering to God(Gen. 22).
3- God chooses Rebecca a sanctified wife and comfort for Isaac (Gen. 23).
4- Rebecca gives birth to Esau and Jacob (Two nations) (Gen. 25).
5- Isaac sojourns as a stranger in Gerar, and re-digs wells of water (Gen. 26).
6- Jacob supplants the blessing of his father Isaac (Gen. 27).
CHAPTER 26: ISAAC SOJOURNS AS A STRANGER IN GERAR
248
God promise to Isaac during the famine; Isaac claims that Rebecca is his sister; The
Philistines envy Isaac; Isaac makes a covenant with Abimelech; Esau takes Hitite wives.
255
Isaac calls Esau; Rebecca supports Isaac; Jacob gets his fathers blessing; Esau deprived of
his fathers blessing; Esau holds a grudge against his brother Jacob.
CHAPTER 28 - CHAPTER 50
GODS DEALINGS WITH JACOB
1- Jacob the wrestler in his mothers womb (Gen. 25).
2- Jacob supplants his fathers blessing (Gen. 27).
3- Jacob and the open heaven (Gen. 28).
4- Jacob labors for his uncle Laban (Gen. 29-30).
5- God blesses Jacobs uncle (Gen. 31).
6- Jacob wrestles with the Angel (Gen. 32).
7- Jacob overcomes Esau with love (Gen. 33).
8- Shechem violates Dinah, Jacobs daughter (Gen. 34).
262
Isaacs commandment to his son Joseph; Esau marries the daughter of Ishmael; The
heavenly ladder; Jacob and the house of God.
271
276
Escape of Jacob; Laban pursues the procession; Laban (the devil) seeks what is his in us;
Making a covenant; Departure of the two parties.
283
Jacob wrestles with the angel of God; Jacob sends messengers to his brother; Jacob resorts to God,
the God of his father; Jacob sends a present to his brother; Jacob wrestles with God.
289
295
Jacob departs to Bethel; Birth of Benjamin and death of Rachel; The sin of Reuben; Death
of Isaac.
300
CHAPTER 37 - CHAPTER 50
GODS DEALINGS WITH JOSEPH
1- Joseph, the son and the slave (Gen. 37).
2- Joseph and the wife of Potiphar (Gen. 39).
3- Joseph, the prisoner (Gen. 40).
4- Joseph, the glorified (Gen. 41).
5- Josephs encounter with his brothers (Gen. 42).
6- The second encounter with Joseph (Gen. 43).
7- Calling Josephs brothers back (Gen. 44).
8- Joseph reveals his identity (Gen. 45).
9- Jacob blesses Joseph and his sons (Gen. 48).
CHAPTER 37: JOSEPH, THE SON AND THE SLAVE
304
Joseph in his fathers house; Joseph, the dreamer; A mission of love; Joseph, the
victimized; Dipping Josephs tunic in blood; Joseph, the slave.
312
Sons of Judah; Er and Tamar; Judah and Tamar; Birth of Perez and Zerah.
324
The two officers in prison; The dreams of the two officers; Realization of the two dreams.
327
The two dreams of Pharaoh; Summoning Joseph; The interpretation of the two dreams;
Josephs counsel; Joseph and the signet ring of Pharaoh; Joseph and laying up the grain;
The two sons of Joseph; Joseph fulfills Egypt.
335
Jacob sends his sons to Egypt; Presenting themselves before Joseph; Return to Canaan.
347
Putting the cup in Benjamins sack; Judah redeems his youngest brother.
350
Joseph reveals himself to his brothers; Inviting his father and brothers to come to live in
Egypt; Israel hears about Joseph.
358
Gods command to Jacob to go down to Egypt; Those who departed with him; Israels
encounter with Joseph.
363
Five of Josephs brothers are presented to Pharaoh; Jacobs encounter with Pharaoh;
Jacobs children in Rameses; The Egyptians become Pharaohs servants; Josephs vow to
Jacob.
370
The sickness of Jacob; Jacob blesses Joseph; Jacob blesses Ephraim and Manasseh; Joseph
gets one portion above his brothers.
375
Jacob calls his sons; Reuben; Simeon and Levi; Judah; Zebulun; Issacher; Dan; Gad;
Asher; Naphtali; Joseph; Benjamin; The final command.
388
Embalming Jacob; Burying Jacob in Canaan; Joseph reassures and comforts his brothers;
Joseph takes an oath from the children of Israel to carry his bones from Egypt.